Man critically injured in shark attack on NSW north coast, police say

New South Wales :-A 32-year-old man is in a critical condition after being bitten by a shark at Lighthouse Beach, near Ballina on the New South Wales north coast, police say. Officers said the man suffered significant leg injuries after he was bitten by a shark while bodyboarding with two friends, just after 10:00am.His friends helped him to shore and contacted emergency services.Paramedics treated the injured man on the back of a ute in the beach car park before he was flown by helicopter to Gold Coast Hospital.A surfer in the water at the time of the attack said he paddled back to shore as quickly as he could to try and help.”All I could see was a lot of blood on the blanket that was wrapped around his leg,” he said.”His mate who brought him in, he was in shock.”He just said it took forever for them to come and get him,” the witness said.Ballina Mayor David Wright said a large shark was seen in the area.”I’ve been told by one of the policemen that they actually saw a large shark,” he said.”It appears that they’ve got some part of the shark, a tooth or something like that, and they think it’s a [Great] White.”Cr Wright said a junior surfing competition was due to start at Ballina tomorrow.However, all beaches within the Ballina Shire are closed for the next 24 hours, including Lighthouse Beach.