The Latest: Some beaches open after California shark attack

The Latest: Some beaches open after California shark attack


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NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on a shark attack in Southern California (all times local):

4:45 p.m.

A stretch of California shoreline that was closed after a weekend shark attack has been reopened, but the beach where the attack took place remains closed.

Newport Beach spokeswoman Tara Finnigan said Tuesday that surfers, swimmers and others were allowed to return to a mile-long stretch of water from Balboa Pier to a surfing spot known as the Wedge.

The ocean remains off limits from Corona del Mar State Beach to Crystal Cove State Beach — the stretch where a 52-year-old woman was bitten by a large shark while swimming on Sunday.

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3:15 p.m.

A marine biologist says a woman was likely bitten by a large great white shark while swimming off a Southern California beach.

Shark Lab director Chris Lowe at California State University, Long Beach, said Tuesday it's difficult to draw a definitive conclusion without seeing the bite suffered by the 52-year-old woman on Sunday off Corona Del Mar State Beach.

But he says a large single bite suggests the shark is over 10 feet long, and a white shark — also known as a great white — would be the most likely candidate.

Lowe says scientists believe the white shark population off California has been increasing. More sightings have been reported over the past four years.

Still, he noted that shark attacks remain rare events.

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11:45 a.m.

Surgeons say they have repaired a very large single bite wound on a 52-year-old woman who was attacked by a shark in Southern California over the weekend.

Doctors at Orange County Global Medical Center said at a Tuesday press conference that the wound extended from the victim's shoulder down to her pelvis.

Dr. Humberto Sauri says Maria Korcsmaros was alert and remarkably calm when she came to the emergency room with multiple cuts and fractured ribs. She's expected to survive.

Officials say the mother of three was training for a half-Iron Man competition when she was attacked Sunday off Corona Del Mar State Beach. The beach is still closed Tuesday.

The hospital press conference was interrupted when someone in the audience apparently fainted as doctors described the wounds.

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8 a.m.

A hospital official has confirmed that a shark attacked a woman who received large bite marks while swimming in Southern California.

Jeff Corliss, a spokesman with Orange County Global Medical Center, said Monday that the woman's injuries are consistent with a shark bite. Corliss tells the Orange County Register (http://bit.ly/25wmahs ) that she's expected to survive.

Officials are meeting Tuesday to decide whether to reopen Corona Del Mar State Beach, which was closed to swimmers and surfers on Memorial Day after Sunday's attack.

The woman, who was swimming in a wetsuit, was bitten on her upper torso and shoulder and was bleeding heavily after a lifeguard boat spotted her in distress.

Hospital officials will discuss the woman's condition at a news conference planned for late Tuesday morning.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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