Perth residents have paid their respects at the scene of a shark attack on the Swan River which took the life of a teenager.
Sixteen-year-old schoolgirl Stella Berry was mauled by the shark in front of horrified friends at Fremantle on Saturday afternoon.
The Year 11 student had been riding a jet ski at Fremantle when she jumped in the water
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She was approached by the suspected bull shark and attacked.
The tragedy has hit Perth residents hard, including David Hopkins who lost a family member to a similar incident.
"I lost my nephew on Lord Howe Island about five years ago," Hopkins said.
While sharks live near the popular swimming spot, attacks are incredibly rare.
One expert from Australian Marine Conservation Society said the attack was random and the teenager in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"It's exceptionally rare, which is what I suppose makes it all the more tragic," Dr Leo Guida said.
The last attack was two years ago, when Cameron Wrathall bitten on the leg by a bull shark.
The latest tragedy has hit home.
"The family must be devastated, I felt very upset for them," he said.
"It stirred up some uncomfortable feelings for myself also."
Berry's school offered its condolences in an email sent to parents earlier today.
Shenton College principal Michael Morgan said the school's student support team which includes chaplains, nurses and psychologists, will be available to support students as required.
"I understand and respect that people respond to grief and loss in different ways, and that a loss such as this can trigger a broad range of emotional responses that are not always anticipated or evident," he said.
"I have personally offered, on behalf of the college, our condolences and support to Stella's family during this very sad time."
Berry's sister Mae is also a student at the school.
Stella's parents Matt and Sophie Berry were teachers at other schools in Perth, WAtoday reported.
It's believed Stella jumped into Perth's Swan River to swim with dolphins when she was attacked, police say.
She was pulled from the water with leg injuries about 3.30pm on Saturday, but died at the scene.
The incident is believed to be the first fatal shark attack in the waterway in 100 years.
Fremantle Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge, who was swimming nearby at the time, said the incident rattled the community.
"This is an absolute tragedy," she said.
"People were just trying to cool down and we were even swimming just around the corner in the river and you don't expect something like this would happen.
"This always rattles people when something unexpected and horrible happens."
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WA Police Acting Fremantle District Inspector Paul Robinson said she was riding with friends on jet skis near the Fremantle traffic bridge before the "tragic" attack.
"What we're being advised is she was with friends on the river, they were on jet skis and possibly a pod of dolphins were seen nearby and the young female jumped in to swim nearby the dolphins," Robinson said.
"It's an extremely traumatic event for everyone involved and everyone who knew the young girl, so I won't be going into the extent of the injuries.
"It is unusual for a shark to be that far down the river, at this point in time an alert has been put out, a shark warning just to let people know this incident has taken place."
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Another witness, Joshua, 16, was with a group of friends who were swimming in the river when the incident happened.
He was jumping from the old Fremantle traffic bridge rope swing when swimmers started rushing to the shore.
"There were about seven of us and we were on the rope swing for around an hour or two," he told WA Today.
"We saw the dolphins, there were dolphins there. When all the police came by we thought we were in trouble.
"Another person then came over on a jet ski and told us to get out of the water."
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