A U.K. shark attack is rare, but a man is in the hospital after being bitten by a shark Sunday of Cornwall's coast.
Max Berryman, 21, was fishing Cornish waters Sunday morning when the vessel’s net brought a porbeagle shark on board. The shark bit him on the leg and caused severe injuries, The Telegraph reported.
Berryman’s injuries were reported as significant.
"His leg was badly gashed — I just had to do the best job I could dressing it," said Phil Mitchell, the boat's skipper, the BBC reported. "We got him stable and spoke to the doctor who recommended him being airlifted because of any bacteria that could have been on the teeth."
Mitchell said the "really big and powerful" caused the damage without even closing its bottom jaw on Berryman's leg.
"I've never come across anything like this before," said U.K. Coastguardsman Alex Grieg, who accompanied the injured fisherman on a helicopter to Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, The Telegraph reported.
The porbeagle is a species of mackerel shark described as a cousin to the feared great white shark of “Jaws” fame and can weigh in at more than 500 pounds.
Although a rare occurrence in the U.K., shark attacks can be common in other parts of the world: Last month a shark attack suspended an elite surfing competition in Australia and an attack last year in the Bahamas resulted in the loss of a limb by a mother of three.
In contrast, there have been only a few dozen shark attacks recorded in the U.K. in recent history.
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