British grandmother killed by 16ft-long shark in Australia

A "devoted and loving" British grandmother has been killed in a shark attack off the coast of Australia, according to reports.

Doreen Collyer, 60, was Scuba diving off the coast of Perth on Sunday morning when she was reportedly attacked.

According to ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), the university lecturer, originally from Chester, was killed by a 16ft (five-metre) great white shark.

Ms Collyer and her husband David emigrated to Australia around five years ago, ABC said.

Mr Collyer said in a statement:

Doreen was the second shark victim in the area within a week, Credit: Reuters

Ms Collyer, a nursing lecturer at Edith Cowan University (ECU), was reportedly a keen diver and held an advanced open water qualification.

Her diving partner managed to pull her from the water but she is understood to have died of her injuries at the scene.

Fishermen who came to help the pair said the shark was bigger than their 5.3-metre boat.

The university's acting vice chancellor Arshad Omari said:

The beaches and water in the Mindarie area, where the attack took place, have been closed to the public.

An order has been issued by the Department of Fisheries in Australia to deploy capture gear to catch the shark.