This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8515009.stm

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Australian woman, 60, beats shark Australian woman, 60, beats shark
(about 1 hour later)
An Australian grandmother has survived a shark attack by repeatedly punching and kicking the animal. An Australian grandmother has survived a shark attack by repeatedly punching and kicking the animal after it "ripped off" part of her body.
Paddy Trumball, 60, suffered several deep bite wounds and lost a huge amount of blood in the incident. Paddy Trumbull, 60, suffered deep bite wounds and lost a huge amount of blood in the incident while snorkelling near the Whitsunday Islands, Queensland.
She was snorkelling near the Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Queensland in eastern Australia when the attack happened. Doctors say Mrs Trumbull is fortunate to be alive after suffering such a ferocious mauling.
Doctors say Mrs Trumball is fortunate to be alive after suffering such a ferocious mauling. At hospital, she joked about now having to get a "remodelled bottom".
Her nightmare began when she came face-to-face with the shark. Speaking from her hospital bed to local media, she said that while snorkelling from a chartered boat with her husband and others, she felt "the most almighty huge tug" and "knew immediately what it was".
Mrs Trumball suffered deep bites, but fighting for her life she repeatedly punched the one-and-a-half metre (5ft) predator on the nose. Paddy Trumbull, lying on her stomach, lost 40% of her blood in the attack
With the aqua blue water heavily stained with blood, the shark dragged the woman under the surface, where she began kicking at its neck. "I turned around and I saw this huge shark."
She was then pulled aboard a sightseeing boat. Mrs Trumbull said: "I then thought 'this shark's not going to get the better of me' and I started punching it on the nose, punching, punching, punching.
Doctors have been amazed that this feisty grandmother from Sydney managed to survive the attack, in which she lost more than three pints (1.5 litres) of blood. "And then it got me under the water, but not much because I started kicking at its neck."
She said she had "a bit of a tug of war" with the 1.5m (5ft) shark, knowing that it had ripped her flesh as she could see blood, but she felt no pain.
She was pulled on board the boat and given first aid, before being airlifted to Mackay Base Hospital where she underwent surgery.
Surgeon Mark Flanagan said: "We can estimate that she lost about 40 per cent of her blood volume from the degree of shock that she had when she came in, and the fact that we required to give her several units of blood."
Mrs Trumbull said she was happy to be alive. "I think they're going to get me a counsellor on Monday, to sort of sort it out, and I have to have a new, remodelled bottom, so that's a positive."