Shark kills bodyboarder off California coast Shark, coast, California, off, bodyboarder

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Shark kills bodyboarder off California coast

SAN FRANCISCO - A shark attacked and killed a man on a boogie board off the California coast near Santa Barbara, local officials said on Friday.


The 19-year-old man was boogie-boarding with a friend off Surf Beach near Vandenberg Air Force Base, when a shark between 14-and-20-feet (4-6 metres) long pulled the man under water, the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department said in a statement, quoting the friend.


The man died shortly afterward from wounds to his leg.


Swimmers hold on to boogie boards to ride waves, while surfers generally stand on their boards.


Shark attacks are extremely rare on the U.S. West Coast, numbering a handful or so every year, according to the Shark Research Committee, a nonprofit group that documents attacks.


Surfers were the most frequent victims and Great White Sharks were the most frequent unprovoked attackers. Local beaches will be closed for three days.

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The boogie board used by 19-year-old Lucas McKaine Ransom, who was the fatal victim of a shark attack at Surf Beach on Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, is seen in this handout photo released October 22, 2010 by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department.

lo_pak

RIP...