September 29th, 2011
08:35 PM ET
A British man was severely injured in an attack by a great white shark while swimming this week near Cape Town, South Africa.
Michael Cohen, 43, lost his right leg and suffered injuries to his left foot in Wednesday's incident near Fish Hoek Beach. He was in critical condition and under heavy sedation in an intensive care unit on Thursday.
According to city officials, the beach was closed when Cohen decided to go for a swim. Warning flags had been raised to alert beach goers that it was not safe to enter the water due to shark sightings. Officials said it was not clear why Cohen ignored the warnings.
One eyewitness told city officials he watched the shark lunge toward Cohen and "shake him." He said the shark then let him go and swam away.
Two people told officials they rushed to the water to assist Cohen to shore.
Twelve shark attacks have been reported in Cape Town since 1998, according to city officials. In half of these cases, the city said, beach goers were warned that sharks had been spotted in the water.