A 40-year-old man has died after a shark attack in Australia on Saturday evening.
Church pastor Luke Walford was spearfishing with his family off the coast of Central Queensland when he was mauled by a shark.
He died an hour and a half later, according to police.
“He was attacked by a shark while doing something he loved – spearfishing, a passion that was passed down to him by his father,” said his church in a tribute posted to Facebook.
“He was truly a beloved figure, especially among our young people, children, and the entire congregation,” said the post.
Mr Walford, who lived in Rockhampton, Queensland, had been working for the church for the last nine years, according to his social media profile.
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“Our prayers are with Luke’s family, especially his wife, his mother, and all his relatives,” said his church.
Mr Walford had been fishing off Humpy Island in The Keppels. The area’s MP, Nigel Hutton, said the “thoughts and prayers of our community go out to the family”.
Nearby, less than a month ago, a man in his 60s was taken to hospital after being bitten by a shark.
Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson Danielle Martin said at the time: “We don’t respond to these very often but when we do they are a unique incident that require us to work with other services to bring the patient to hospital in a timely manner.
“We were lucky in this case as shark bites can be significant but we were able to transport him with minor to moderate injuries on this occasion.”
