A surfer died on Sunday after being bitten by a shark off a surfing beach on Australia's east coast. The surfer was believed to be in his late 20s and was bitten in the arm, local media reported.

The incident took place off the Emerald Beach, some 550 km north of Sydney.

"Despite the best efforts of bystanders, paramedics and other emergency services the patient sadly died at the scene," New South Wales Ambulance said on its Twitter account.

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NSW Ambulance inspector Chris Wilson said it was a “devastating” incident for everyone on the beach at the time.

“A number of local surfers and bystanders came to the aid of this man, they were incredibly brave in a very challenging situation,” an AP report cited Wilson as saying.

The beach, about 20 km north of Coffs Harbour, was closed after the incident, Coffs Harbour Lifeguards officials said.

Australia is second only to the United States in the number of unprovoked shark encounters with humans in 2019, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File.