SYDNEY, Dec 29, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - A shark has attacked and killed a 40-year-old man fishing with his family in the waters of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, officials said.

The predator struck on Saturday afternoon off Humpy Island on the country's east coast, emergency services said.

"The man was fishing with family members when he was bitten by a shark," Queensland state police said in a statement.

He sustained "life-threatening injuries" and died about an hour-and-a-half afterwards, police said, adding that a report would be prepared for the coroner.

They were unable to confirm whether he was spearfishing at the time.

A Queensland ambulance spokeswoman told AFP on Sunday the man died at the scene after sustaining a "significant life-threatening wound to his neck".

Humpy Island, which lies in the Great Barrier Reef's Keppel Bay Islands National Park, has a popular camping ground that gives easy access to reefs for diving and snorkeling.

The country's last fatal shark attack was in December 2023, when what was believed to be a great white killed a 15-year-old boy at a remote surfing spot in South Australia.

There have been more than 1,200 shark incidents in Australia since 1791, of which over 250 resulted in death, according to a national database.

Most serious bites are from white sharks, bull sharks, and tiger sharks.