Deadly 'shark attack' at Massachusetts beach

Wellfleet police say the man was pronounced dead at Cape Cod hospital on Saturday

A man in his 20s has died after being injured in a suspected shark attack in the US state of Massachusetts.

The incident happened at Newcomb Hollow Beach around lunchtime on Saturday.

The man was pulled from the water and given CPR but later died in hospital from his injuries, police in the town of Wellfleet said.

The attack is thought to be the state's first fatal incident involving a shark since 1936.

The man was reportedly boogie-boarding, a type of body-board surfing, at the time of the attack, AP news agency reports.

His name has not yet been released to the public but his family is said to have been informed.

Officials say the town's beaches will remain closed to swimmers for at least 24 hours.

A witness described the scene on the beach as a "nightmare" to the Cape Cod Times newspaper.

"Just a giant eruption of water. 15ft wide. I saw a tail and a lot of thrashing," Joe Booth said.

"You could tell by the body language of the guys in the water something wasn't right."

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Great white shark sightings in Cape Cod have soared this year, with experts blaming increased seal levels close to the region's beaches.

In August another man, 61-year-old neurologist William Lyton, was attacked by a shark just six miles away from Saturday's incident.

He sustained severe injuries to his legs and is still recovering in hospital.