WALTON COUNTY, Fla. — The water is now closed at several popular Florida panhandle beaches following two reported shark attacks on Friday that resulted in severe injuries to two people, according to the Walton County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies and lifeguards responded to Watersound Beach along State Road 30A near Rosemary Beach on Friday afternoon after they heard multiple reports of a woman who had been injured in a shark attack around 1:20 p.m. Fire officials said she was swimming just past the first sand bar with her husband when she was attacked by a shark.
The 45-year-old woman was rushed to the hospital with "significant trauma" to her midsection and pelvis, fire officials said in a Friday afternoon press conference. She also underwent an amputation to her lower left arm. She received care on the beach before she was taken to the fire station before being airlifted to the hospital in critical condition.
Just before 3 p.m., deputies responded to the area of Seacrest Beach where two teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 17 were reportedly attacked near the first sand bar about 4 miles down the beach line while out with a group of friends in waist-deep water.
One of the teenagers was severely injured, having injuries to her arm and leg that required a tourniquet. She was rushed to the hospital, where she is in critical condition. The other teen received flesh wounds and was also taken to the hospital, where fire officials said she is in stable condition.
Deputies have closed the water at all Walton County beaches, and double red flags are now flying on the beach. Florida's panhandle beaches along 30A are a popular vacation destination for many in metro Atlanta and north Georgia.
Walton County Sheriff Mike Adkinson said that both women have a "fighting chance" due to the swift response by first responders on the beach.
The sheriff's office posted a photo of the scene, which appeared to show someone being carried off the beach on what appears to be a stretcher.
The two attacks happened roughly an hour and a half apart, fire officials said.
"We are encouraging beachgoers to be cognizant that lifeguards and beach deputies may be trying keep people out of the water in the immediate area," the Walton County Sheriff's Office said on social media.
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