String of shark sightings and attacks reported along East Coast over July 4 holiday

A trio of suspected shark attacks rocked beaches in Long Island, New York, during the Independence Day holiday.

Officials say two men in their 40s and a 50-year-old woman were bitten in separate incidents. All three went to local hospitals and were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The attacks came hours after park officials in the state temporarily closed a beach after spotting a school of sand tiger sharks. All told, there have been five suspected shark attacks along a 40-mile stretch of coastline in New York in two days.

Two 15-year-olds in Long Island were also believed to be attacked by sharks on July 3.

There have also been shark sightings in Florida over the last few days, with a hammerhead located near the shore in the town of Surfside.

That followed another sighting, when a hammerhead got close to paddleboarders between the Bahamas and Florida. A shark was also spotted in the water at a beach near Pensacola, prompting beachgoers to rush to shore.

Even as there have been reports of shark sightings and attacks, unprovoked bites from the animals are not common.

Florida topped the United States with 16 unprovoked bites in 2022, while New York was second with eight, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attacks File. There were 41 cases in 2022, down from 47 reported in 2021.

“Short-term trends show both fatal and non-fatal bites to be decreasing,” the file reported.

The file also recommends steps you can take to reduce the chances of being attacked by a shark, including by swimming with another person, staying close to shore and avoiding excessive splashing.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com