Forty-year-old Luke Walford, a Rockhampton, Queensland pastor, lost his life in a horrific shark attack on Saturday afternoon while fishing with his family near Humpy Island, on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. A shark bit Walford, a youth pastor at the Cathedral of Praise church, causing life-threatening injuries on his neck. He passed dead at the spot over an hour and a half after the attack, although quick attempts at assistance.
Confirming the event, the Queensland police said Walford was fishing with family members when the attack took place. Although pictures from Walford’s social media show him participating in fishing activities on past travels, the police are looking at the specifics but have not yet established whether Walford was spearfishing at the time.
Part of Keppel Bay Islands National Park, Humpy Island is well-known for its accessible diving and snorkelling areas inside the Great Barrier Reef as well as for popular camping grounds. Both residents seeking to appreciate the underwater beauty of the reef and visitors frequent the region.
Following a similar occurrence in December 2023, wherein a 15-year-old boy was killed by what was thought to be a great white shark in South Australia, this is Australia’s first deadly shark attack of 2024.
A government database claims that Australia has experienced more than 1,200 shark occurrences since 1791, accounting for almost 250 deaths. Most of these significant attacks are ascribed to species like white sharks, bull sharks, and tiger sharks.
Authorities are still looking as the community laments the death of Walford; a report will be ready for the coroner to ascertain the precise events surrounding the attack.
