Shark kills surfer, 13, off Reunion in Indian Ocean Published duration 12 April 2015

image copyright AFP

A 13-year-old boy has been killed by a shark off the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion.

The teenager, named as Elio, was surfing in an off-limits section of water off the west coast, when he was attacked on Sunday morning.

In a statement, local authorities said they had deployed specialist boats in an attempt to locate the shark.

There have been 16 such attacks on the island since 2007. Seven people have died.

The young victim was said to have been a promising surfer. Rescuers arrived at the scene quickly but were unable to save him.

In February, after a non-fatal shark attack, a ban was imposed on all water activities outside areas monitored by lifeguards.