JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A 65-year-old woman was killed on Tuesday in a shark attack off South Africa ’s southeastern coast, police and municipal authorities said, prompting the closure of two beaches.
Officers were called to Orient Beach in KuGompo city, formerly East London, at about 7 a.m., where they found the woman’s body, Eastern Cape police spokesperson Col. Siphokazi Mawisa told The Associated Press. An inquest has been opened into the death.
“The Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality is deeply saddened to confirm that a fatal shark attack occurred at the Orient Beach this morning, resulting in the tragic loss of a swimmer,” municipal spokesman Luzuko Buku said in a statement.
Fellow swimmer Mike Loewe told state broadcaster SABC that members of an open-water swimming group responded to the woman’s distress signal and brought her ashore. A medic in the group tried to save her, but she was declared dead at the scene, he said.
“She liked to swim solo,” Loewe said. “She was courageous.”
He described the victim as a recently retired nuclear radiographer and a musician, and said her death had devastated the swimming community.
The municipality has closed Orient Beach and nearby Eastern Beach until further notice. They will reopen only after safety assessments and expert advice. It also urged beachgoers to swim only in designated areas while lifeguards are on duty, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
South Africa is known for its great white sharks and shark tourism, but shark attacks are rare.
According to municipal records, the city’s last fatal shark attack was in 1997, and its most recent reported attack occurred in 2023.
The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File recorded 29 unprovoked bites in the country between 2012 and 2021, an average of about three a year. Six were fatal.
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
The fin of a great white shark swims in the waters off Gansbaai, South Africa, Aug. 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam, File)
Paris Saint-Germain was too powerful for even Lamine Yamal's magic as it ended Barcelona's 11-game winning run to top the Champions League table on Tuesday.
PSG is joined by Liverpool as the only teams with three wins after Alexis Mac Allister led a rousing 4-3 comeback win over Villarreal.
Yamal had just displayed stunning skill to level the score at 2-2 from a narrow angle when PSG took the lead again through Vitinha, before Fabian Ruiz added another for a 4-2 victory.
Injuries to stars Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia took some of the shine off the win for PSG, which could now face having to cope without two of its biggest difference-makers in attack.
The game took place with a visible police presence outside, against the backdrop of violent unrest across France.
What began in France as protests against school conditions has expanded to include a wide range of other groups and causes. There have been violent clashes, fires and looting.
Eighteen-year-old Rio Ngumoha played a starring role in Liverpool's comeback, setting up goals for Ronald Araujo, Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz.
Liverpool had been 2-0 down after an erratic start, which included captain Virgil van Dijk holding up his hands in apology after his wayward header allowed Georges Mikautadze to score the opener for Villarreal.
Manchester City bounced back from defeat to PSG with a slick 5-1 win against AEK Athens, with top scorer Erling Haaland on the bench. Phil Foden scored a hat trick, with his second goal the pick of the bunch coming at the end of a sweeping attack.
Atletico Madrid held on with 10 men for a 1-1 draw with Stuttgart, foiling the German underdog's bid to join PSG and Liverpool on nine points.
Julian Alvarez's goal for Atletico had canceled out Jamie Leweling's opener when midfielder Morten Hjulman made a reckless sliding tackle from behind on Angelo Stiller to leave Atletico clinging on.
Scott McTominay scored his first two goals of the season to help Napoli beat Bodø/Glimt 4-3 and relieve pressure on coach Massimiliano Allegri.
Serhou Guirassy scored twice but Borussia Dortmund wasted plenty more chances in a 2-1 win over Azerbaijan’s Sabah.
It wasn’t the sort of convincing victory the German team was hoping for, after last week saw a loss to Bodø/Glimt before a draw at Union Berlin which allowed Bayern Munich to take the Bundesliga top spot off Dortmund.
Pavel Kacor’s leaping volley in the 90th minute earned Slavia Prague a 2-2 draw with Fenerbahce, which had been leading 2-0 early on before a defensive blunder by Mattéo Guendouzi let the Czech side back into the game.
PSV won 1-0 against Porto, which slumped to a third loss. Roma cruised to a 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
Manchester City's Phil Foden celebrates after scoring fourth goal during the Champions League soccer match between Manchester City and AEK Athens in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Liverpool's Florian Wirtz, right, celebrates with Liverpool's Cody Gakpo after scoring his side's fourth goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Liverpool and Villarreal in Liverpool, England, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, center, scores his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
PSG's Vitinha celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
Fenerbahce players celebrate after their teammate Mason Greenwood scores the second goal against Slavia Praha during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Fenerbahce and Slavia Praha in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Sabah's Ivan Lepinjica, left, jumps for the ball during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Sabah FK and Borussia Dortmund in Baku, Azerbaijan, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo)
Police officers stand guard outside the stadium ahead of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
Police vehicles are parked outside the stadium ahead of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
A person holds a French national flag during a protest against under-resourced schools in Paris, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Barcelona's Dani Olmo, right, celebrates after scoring during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Betis and Barcelona in Seville, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
PSG's Maghnes Akliouche, center, celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
