Four people attacked by a shark off Texas beach during 4th of July celebrations

In horrifying scenes that have reminded some of the 1980s movie Jaws, a shark attacked July 4 celebrations at South Padre Island, Texas. On Thursday, one man was initially bitten by a shark shortly before midday, but now the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has revealed that two more people have also been attacked.

Photos on social media show onlookers rushing to help a victim, the water tainted red with their blood. One of the victims was taken to hospital for treatment, but it was later confirmed that two people were bitten and two more had enountered the shark - but escaped without serious injuries.

A spokesperson for the TPWD said: “Details at this time indicate that two people were bitten and two people encountered the shark but were not seriously injured. The two victims who were bitten were transported to Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville where one is being treated and the other has been flown out for further treatment.

“Local game wardens and members of the Texas Game Warden Marine Tactical Operations Group assisted in patrolling the beach by boat and land patrol while DPS patrolled the area by helicopter and SPI PD and Cameron County rangers assisted with crowd control on the beach. No further details are known at this time.

“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 typically an indicator a predator is nearby, or if you see a shark in the water, calmly exit the water and wait for the predatory wildlife to pass.”