'Large shark' kills man off Sydney beach

A surfer was killed in a rare shark attack at a popular Sydney beach on Saturday, prompting temporary beach closures, Australian police said. New South Wales police superintendent John Duncan confirmed the fatal encounter.

John Duncan , New South Wales police superintendent said  "I believe his mates were nearby, and from what I understand there was a couple of people very nearby who believed what they saw was a shark. Yep, so we're fairly confident it is a shark."

Authorities said the experienced surfer had been in the water about half an hour when the attack occurred. Rescue efforts by fellow surfers and emergency teams were unsuccessful, and police described the incident as a tragic and extremely rare event.