South African surfer survives shark attack

A South African surfer survived an attack by a shark measuring up to 4.6m at a popular beach in the south of the country on Friday, rescuers said. Mr Jacque Mostert, 29, was attacked and injured while he was surfing during a holiday in Stilbaai in Western Cape province, Mr Rico Menezies of the National Sea Rescue Institute said in a statement. 'He was surfing with friends and his fellow surfers, who reportedly witnessed the incident, removed him from the water,' said Mr Menezies. He said the shark of unknown species of between four to 4.5m bit him in his leg and he was taken to hospital suffering serious cuts and blood loss. His condition was described as "serious but stable". Shark attacks in South Africa are less common but more often fatal than other shark international hotspots like Australia and the United States. The country accounts for one-third of the 24 deaths worldwide on the International Shark Attack File for the past three years. In April, a young Cape Town bodyboarder died after his leg was bitten off at a remote surfing spot.