Four shark encounters off Texas island as beachgoers celebrate July 4th

Four people encountered a shark as they took to the waters off South Padre Island on the Independence Day holiday, two of whom were bitten and another who was injured while trying to help, Texas officials say.

Four people encountered a shark as they took to the waters off South Padre Island on the Independence Day holiday, two of whom were bitten and another who was injured while trying to help, Texas officials say. “Details at this time indicate that two people were bitten and two people encountered the shark but were not seriously injured,” the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said in a statement. The two bite victims were taken to Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville, where one is being treated and the other has been flown out for further treatment, the department said. The third person was injured – but not seriously – while trying to assist one of the bite victims, the department told CNN. It is unclear exactly how they were hurt. Another beachgoer said they felt a shark brush against them as it swam by, according to the department. “Shark encounters of this nature are not a common occurrence in Texas,” the statement noted. “When bites from sharks do occur, they are usually a case of mistaken identity by sharks looking for food.”