Berthelot was bitten by the shark in the groin, arm, and leg while swimming off the coast of the island Kouare in New Caledonia, a French overseas territory located 750 miles northeast of Australia. Berthelot died before medical help arrived 45 minutes after the attack, according to Les Novelles Caledoniennes, a French news site.
“It was really a savage and sudden attack,” said a police spokesman, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Philippe Tirard, a shark researcher who lives in New Caledonia, told Les Novelles Caledoniennes that Berthelot was “just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He continued, “As in most cases, shark attacks are unpredictable. However, this species is particularly aggressive, and does not hesitate to tackle bigger than her.”
The victim’s wife, Anne, who was taken to the hospital for “shock” after the attack, posted “I lost the man of my life tonight” on Facebook, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Berthelot was a founder of a client relationship management firm in New Caledonia.
According to the International Shark Attack File, 130 people were attacked by sharks in 2014. Of those 130 attacks, more than half of them (72) were unprovoked, as appears to have been the case in Berthelot’s attack.
