Two people appear to have been attacked by sharks in New York a day after two others reported being bitten in the water at popular beaches in the state.
At least one beach delayed opening on Tuesday after officials said drones spotted some 50 sands sharks that morning near a popular beach park.
When the beach reopened, swimmers were advised to stay close to shore. The beach was closed once more after a possible shark sighting, but officials determined it was a dolphin.
The attacks on Tuesday both took place just before 2pm local time (7pm UK time) and happened around 60 miles apart on beaches in Long Island.
A 47-year-old man was in chest-deep water off Quogue Village beach when he felt an apparent bite to his right knee, Quogue police said.
He told authorities that he did not see a shark but as a precaution police advised swimmers to stay out of the water until officials could assess the risks.
Soon after a 49-year-old man reported being bitten on the hand while swimming off Fire Island Pines.
It was not far from another attack the day before when a 15-year-old boy reported being bitten on one of his feet by a shark while surfing.
Earlier Monday, a 15-year-old girl was treated for an apparent shark bite to her leg.
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Long Island State Parks regional director George Gorman told the local paper Newsday: “She didn’t see what bit her, the lifeguards didn’t know what bit her, the drone operator checked the area, we didn’t see.
“So we can’t definitively say what bit her.”
After a spate of attacks last year, state parks officials have increased patrols and deployed more drones to scout the waters for possible danger.
“We did have a season last year where we had six swimmers bitten from sharks, so this has turned into a bit of a concern,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told local news television station WABC.
