A surfer has died after being bitten by a shark at a beach north of Sydney, Australian authorities said Tuesday.

Paramedics were called to Tuncurry Beach, about three hours' drive from Australia's most populous city following reports of the attack on Tuesday morning.

"Despite the best efforts of paramedics and bystanders at the scene, the man could not be resuscitated," New South Wales Ambulance tweeted.

Australia was the deadliest country in the world for shark bites in 2020
Representational image AFP / Saeed KHAN

The man, believed to be in his 50s, went into cardiac arrest after being bitten on his thigh, a spokesman told AFP. Police said he was surfing when the attack occurred.

The New South Wales state government's SharkSmart organisation said beaches in the area had been closed until further notice following the incident.

It was the first fatal shark attack recorded in Australian waters this year, according to the Taronga Conservation Society Australia.

There were 26 maulings in 2020, eight of them fatal, data from the government agency shows.