3 Bitten by Shark Over 3 Hours in Same Area of Florida Beach

3 Bitten by Shark Over 3 Hours in Same Area of Florida Beach
A man walks on a beach in Florida. (Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)
The Associated Press
9/19/2016
Updated:
9/19/2016

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla.—Three surfers suffered shark bites in separate attacks over a three-hour period in the same area of a Florida beach.

The attacks began Sunday morning when the Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue agency says a 43-year-old man was bitten on the lower leg or ankle while surfing. About a half hour later, a 36-year-old old man was bitten on the hands. Both men were hospitalized.

About two hours after that, the agency says a 16-year-old boy was bitten on his inner thigh. He had only a minor injury and wasn’t taken to the hospital.

All the bites came near a jetty in an area well-known for shark activity.

Afterward, beach safety officials instructed beachgoers not to go in the water above their knees.