California woman bitten by shark near Hawaii’s Big Island

WAIKOLOA VILLAGE, Hawaii (AP) — Officials say a shark bit a California woman near Hawaii’s Big Island and she was airlifted to a hospital.

Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources spokesman Dan Dennison says the 65-year-old woman was bitten Tuesday by a 5-foot (1.5-meter) black tip reef shark.

No further details were available on the extent of her injuries.

The attack occurred off the coast near Anaehoomalu Bay, near Waikoloa, a popular tourist area on the west side of the Big Island. Nearby beaches were closed until further notice.