A 10-year-old boy was dragged off a boat by a shark on the Australian coast

A 10-year-old boy in Australia was injured on Friday when a shark dragged him off of a boat and into the water, officials said.

The boy was left with arm, head, and chest injuries after the incident near Stanley, on the northwest coast of Tasmania, Ambulance Tasmania said in a statement on Facebook. He is now in stable condition now.

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"The boy ... was aboard a six-metre vessel on a fishing expedition about 5km from shore with his father and two other men when a shark grabbed him from the boat," the statement said.

The shark swam away when the boy's father jumped in to save him.

"The boy, who was wearing a personal flotation device, suffered lacerations to his arm, and other cuts to his chest and head," Ambulance Tasmania said.

Police had issued a warning about sharks in the area hours before the boy was attacked. They said a "large shark" was seen near Stanley and encouraged people to "take necessary precautions," the Australian Associated Press reported.

View over the Nut, remnant of an extinct volcano, and the town of Stanley in Northwestern Tasmania.
View over the Nut, remnant of an extinct volcano, and the town of Stanley in Northwestern Tasmania.

Leisa Tyler/LightRocket via Getty Images

There have been a number of shark attacks in Australia this year, including one on Tuesday, when a 29-year-old making a documentary about sharks was attacked near Fitzroy Island. She's currently recovering in the hospital.

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