Texas Shark Attacks Leave Multiple Injured As Videos Show Beach Chaos

Several people were injured during a number of attacks, seemingly by a single shark, at a beach in Texas.

Two people were bitten and a third injured while trying to help, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said in a statement, although some reports mentioned that four people had been hurt on South Padre Island on Texas' south coast on Thursday.

The two that were bitten were taken to Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville, where one was treated and the other was "flown out for further treatment."

One victim suffered a "severe" bite to the leg, city spokesperson Nikki Soto told the Associated Press. The incident was reported to police at around 11:00 a.m. local time.

Graphic footage on social media shows people pulling a woman out of the water, which turns red with blood, before the camera zooms in on a shark fin and tail seen amid the waves.

Witness Kyle Jud, 46, spoke to NBC News about the woman who was pulled from the water with a bloody leg.

"Beach patrol lifted her up, her calf was just gone, shredded—horrific," he said.

"It's unprecedented here on South Padre Island," fire chief Jim Pigg told NBC News.

He also said that the shark was located and "pushed out to deeper water" after the victims were helped.

Mother Nereyda Bazaldua told CNN her 18-year-old daughter Victoria was one of the people who was bitten.

She told how Victoria and her sister were in shallow, knee-deep water when they screamed: "Shark!"

"The shark pushed into her, five to six of his teeth scratched her leg," Bazaldua said. "The wounds aren't deep."

The mother added: "We never saw the shark till he was right there with them. It wasn't choppy water and the seas were calm. He showed up out of nowhere."

Lieutenant Chris Olivarez, of the Texas Department of Public Safety's Aircraft Division, told CNN: "DPS remained on scene until the shark was no longer a threat"

Footage posted on X, formerly Twitter, showed people watching a boat offshore as a helicopter hovered overhead.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said: "Shark encounters of this nature are not a common occurrence in Texas. When bites from sharks do occur, they are usually a case of mistaken identity by sharks looking for food.

"If you see large schools of bait near the shore, this (is) typically an indicator a predator is nearby, or if you see a shark in the water, exit the water and wait for the predatory wildlife to pass."

Mayor of South Padre Island Patrick McNulty has been quoted by local media as saying: "Our hearts and prayers are with the injured and their families and we hope for a speedy recovery."