A shark attack has killed a woman swimming at a remote beach but a passerby's heroic efforts might have saved the life of the man she was with.
The Swiss tourists were bitten while swimming at Kylies Beach in the Crowdy Bay National Park on the NSW Mid North Coast on Thursday morning.
"Witnesses assisted the pair prior to the arrival of NSW Ambulance paramedics; however, the woman died at the scene," police said.
A woman in her 20s was dead when paramedics attended shortly after but a makeshift tourniquet had stemmed the man's bleeding enough for them to airlift him to hospital
The man, also in his 20s, has "serious injuries" and has been airlifted to the John Hunter Hospital in a "critical condition", according to NSW Police.
The Swiss government confirmed the victims' nationality, and its foreign affairs department said it was providing support for their families.
Shark scientists from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPRID) said they "determined a large bull shark was likely to have been involved."
"DPIRD has deployed five SMART drumlines this morning at Kylies Beach and will continue to work with authorities to monitor the area and provide technical advice and resources, if needed," the department said.
Drumlines are a non-lethal shark control technology to send an alert when a shark has been captured on the line.
This was the fifth fatal shark attack in Australia this year.
Bystanders praised
Superintendent Joshua Smyth from NSW Ambulance said the courage of bystanders who tried to help the pair was "amazing".
"I need to have a shout out to the bystander on the beach who put a makeshift tourniquet on the male's leg and potentially saved his life," he said.
"The courage shown by this [person] is amazing.
"To put yourself out there is very heroic, and it did give us time to get that male patient."
Authorities confirmed the beach has been closed.
Five SMART drumlines will be temporarily installed off Kylies Beach, the NSW government said.
Formal identification yet to occur
Chief inspector Timothy Bayly from NSW Police told reporters on Thursday morning that "formal identification [of the woman] has not yet occurred".
Bayly would not disclose the nature of the man and woman's relationship or why they were at the beach.
"All I can say at this stage is that they were known to each other. They were going for a swim," he said.
He was "not aware of" any shark sightings in the area since the attack earlier in the morning.
— With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press
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