A portion of Corona del Mar State Beach was evacuated after a swimmer was bitten in a possible shark attack Sunday afternoon, according to the Newport Beach Fire Department.
About 4:10 p.m., a rescue boat picked up the injured female, who had suffered “traumatic injuries,” Battalion Chief Brent Jacobsen of the Fire Department said.
She appeared to have an animal bite wound on her torso, according to a statement from Tara Finnigan, the public information manager for Newport Beach.
The beachgoer’s wounds were consistent with signs of a shark attack, but authorities are awaiting official confirmation, Jacobsen said.
Her condition was not immediately known, but she was alert and talking when first responders rushed her to an area hospital, Finnigan wrote in the emailed statement.
A stretch of ocean from Corona del Mar to the Newport Beach Pier has been evacuated following the incident. It would remain closed through the night and be reevaluated in the morning.
No additional information was immediately released.
Corona del Mar State Beach is an approximately half-mile long stretch of sandy shores framed by cliffs and rock jetty that form Newport Harbor’s east entrance, according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation. It is a popular spot for swimmers, surfers and divers, the department’s website stated.
The area has seen a number of shark sightings in the past year.
A stretch of nearby Newport Beach was shut down last October after an 8-foot shark was spotted near the pier.
Multiple videos have also emerged online of various encounters off Dana Point and Huntington Beach between last August and this April.
Even more recently, photos surfaced of a baby shark that was found mutilated in Newport Beach, sparking an investigation earlier this month by the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The El Niño conditions that began last year have been cited as a reason for an increase in the sightings along the Southern California coast.
KTLA’s Stephen Acosta contributed to this story.
