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Sixth shark attack of summer Saturday off Rodanthe

A 17-year-old man is the sixth person to be bitten by a shark this summer off the coast of North Carolina.

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RODANTHE, N.C. — A 17-year-old man is the sixth person to be bitten by a shark this summer off the coast of North Carolina. The man was bitten Saturday afternoon in Rodanthe, according to a National Parks Service spokesman, who described his injuries as bloody, but not life- or limb-threatening.

He had injuries to his right calf and buttocks and both his hands, the parks service said. After treatment on the scene, the man was flown to a hospital in Norfolk. There, he joins a 47-year-old who was bitten Friday.

That man, whose name was not released, was bitten about a mile north of the Avon Fishing Pier.

The other four instances of shark bites earlier this month all involved younger people.

A girl was bitten by a shark and her boogie board torn apart at Ocean Isle Beach June 11.
The most serious injuries were suffered by a 12-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy, each bitten June 14 about an hour apart off the coast of Oak Island. Each had an arm amputated.

An 8-year-old boy was bitten earlier this week in Surf City, but his injuries were described as minor.

With the recent shark attacks on the minds of beach goers, business owners said their shops and motels have not been affected.

"Everybody is out in the ocean, having a good time and playing on the beach," said On Shore Surf Shop employee George Howard.

Before this summer, the last known encounter with a shark at the Cape Hatteras Seashore occurred in 2011 on Ocracoke Island, according to the Park Service.

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