31 Mar 2012

Fourth man killed in shark attack in just seven months

7:10 pm on 31 March 2012

A 33-year-old man was killed by a shark off Western Australia's southwest coast on Saturday morning, the fourth fatal shark attack off the state's coast since September.

The man was diving from a small open boat off Stratham Beach about 230km south of Perth when he was attacked.

It's believed his body was recovered from the water by his brother, the ABC reports.

Beaches in the area have been closed following the attack, which the authorities believe involved a four-metre great white shark.

The previous deaths prompted the Western Australia government to spend millions of dollars on initiatives aimed at preventing further attacks.