video transcript

One man is dead following a shark attack west of Auckland, New Zealand on Wednesday. Witnesses alerted emergency services when they saw the attack off Muriwai Beach. (SOUNDBITE) (English) WITNESS PIO MOSIE, FISHERMAN, SAYING (PARTIALLY COVERED WITH SEA SHOTS): "The shark was still attacking him and then the shark stopped the attacking, he put his head up. We yelled out at him to swim over to the rocks and he raised his hand up. While he raised his hand up, next minute he went down, shark pulled him down. He came up with his head under water and then we know he is dead." Paramedic Russell Clarke was on board a rescue helicopter that arrived shortly after the emergency call came through. (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUSSELL CLARKE, RESCUE HELICOPTER PARAMEDIC, SAYING: "The police managed to distract the shark while we extracted the person from the water, so with the use of the local Muriwai surf club and some distracting noise from the helicopter we managed to get the body into the surf boat and to shore." Police said they fired several bullets at the shark but were not sure whether they actually hit it. Helicopters will continue to patrol the area, and local media reported that Muriwai and its neighbouring beaches will remain closed.