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Officials have reported the devastating loss of a 40-year-old pastor who fell victim to a shark attack while fishing alongside his family near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The attack occurred on Saturday afternoon off Humpy Island, where emergency services stated that the predator delivered a fatal bite to the man’s neck, marking another grim chapter in the region’s history of marine incidents.
“The man was fishing with family members when he was bitten by a shark,” Queensland state police said in a statement.
The injuries sustained in the attack proved fatal, with police confirming that the victim died roughly an hour and a half later. Authorities stated that a coroner’s report would be compiled to document the incident. Meanwhile, a Queensland ambulance spokeswoman told AFP on Sunday that he was pronounced dead at the scene, the result of a “grave and catastrophic wound to his neck.”
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Known for its bustling camping ground and easy access to vibrant reefs, Humpy Island is a gem within the Keppel Bay Islands National Park of the Great Barrier Reef. Yet, it now serves as the backdrop to a tragic loss: Luke Walford, a beloved youth pastor from Rockhampton’s Cathedral of Praise church, who lost his life in a devastating shark attack. Leaders from his community expressed heartbreak, calling his passing an immeasurable loss for central Queensland.
Walford, a man who had proudly shared snapshots of himself in a wetsuit from previous fishing outings on social media, was thought to be spearfishing when the shark attacked. These photos, once a testament to his adventurous spirit, now serve as a haunting reminder of the dangerous yet alluring world of the ocean he loved.
“We are all very much still in shock,” said Donna Kirkland, who represents Rockhampton in the Queensland state parliament.
“A family friend, not only to my own family but countless others. He was an inspirational leader as a children’s and youth pastor,” she said in a statement.
“My prayers and heartfelt condolences are with his beautiful family and indeed the many who will be devastated, as I am, at this news.”
The pastor of Cathedral of Praise, Claude Fingleton, said Walford was “greatly loved”.
“This was a young man who loved people, who loved God,” he told national broadcaster ABC.
The country’s last fatal shark attack was in December 2023, when what was believed to be a great white killed a 15-year-old boy at a remote surfing spot in South Australia.
There have been more than 1,200 shark incidents in Australia since 1791, of which over 250 resulted in death, according to a national database. Most serious bites are from white sharks, bull sharks, and tiger sharks.
