Woman from Chester killed in Australia shark attack

University lecturer, 60-year-old Doreen Collyer has died after being attacked by a shark during a diving expedition off Mindarie in Perth, Australia yesterday.

Australian authorities have confirmed that her injuries are consistent with a shark attack.

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

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

It is thought she was killed by a 16ft (five-metre) great white shark, according to ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).

Ms Collyer and her husband David, originally from Chester, moved to Australia around five years ago, ABC said.

Mr Collyer said in a statement:

Her diving partner managed to pull her from the water but she died of her injuries at the scene, it was reported.

Fishermen who came to the pair's aid told ABC the shark was bigger than their 5.3-metre boat.

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

The university's acting vice chancellor Arshad Omari described her as "a much-loved and respected colleague, mentor and teacher".

Dozens of Ms Collyer's colleagues, students and friends paid tribute to her on social media.

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.