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A New England summer hot spot that was the site of the state’s first fatal shark attack five years ago is once again seeing signs of the apex predator as thousands flock to the beach to enjoy the water.
Authorities are warning the public to remain vigilant after two great white sharks were spotted off the coast of Maine’s Bailey Island within 48 hours, the Harpswell Marine Resources and Harbor Management said in a Facebook post.
In response to the sightings, officials have posted shark notification flags throughout Cedar Beach, the post said.
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Visitors who observe a shark are asked to take a picture and contact the Cumberland Regional Communication Center to help officials “take appropriate action at the time of the sightings.”
The beach remains open to swimmers, and officials have launched a notification system to keep visitors safely informed in the event a shark is spotted nearby.
The sightings come five years after the same island was the scene of the Pine Tree State’s first documented fatal shark attack.
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A woman was killed by an unprovoked shark while swimming off the shore of Bailey Island in July 2020.
A witness initially saw the woman in the water when she was injured in an apparent shark attack, Maine Marine Patrol previously said.
Two kayakers managed to reach the injured woman and brought her to shore, where first responders attempted to save her life.
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The woman died, Marine Patrol said.
Last year, 71 shark bites were recorded throughout the United States, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File.
Of the recorded cases, 47 of the bites were unprovoked, the ISAF reported.
Harpswell Marine Resources and Harbor Management did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Julia Musto and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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