Sydney Harbour shark attack victim thanks 'heroic' neighbours who rushed to her aid

An Australian woman who was attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour has thanked a vet who bandaged up her gaping wound until paramedics arrived.

Lauren O'Neill, 29, revealed details of the horrific incident which happened when she went for a sunset swim in the water at Elizabeth Bay on Monday.

The keen swimmer and kayaker had gone for a dip after work, something she regularly did, when a suspected bull shark bit her leg soon after 7.40pm, according to Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.

Surgeons had to work through the night to stop the leg from being amputated, the newspaper has reported.

The shark ripped open the young microbiologist’s leg beneath her knee and gnawed through the bone.

Ms O’Neill thanked neighbours who ran to the wharf when they heard her screaming out in pain, particularly veterinary surgeon Dr Fiona Crago who provided first aid and bandaged the gaping wound until paramedics arrived.

Ms O’Neill said she “wishes to thank the heroic and very kind neighbours for the critical assistance provided” and she was also “immensely grateful to the NSW Ambulance paramedics and Kings Cross Police for their swift and caring actions at the scene”.

Ms O’Neill underwent two rounds of emergency surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney.

She thanked the “clinicians at St Vincent’s Hospital, particularly the specialist surgical teams who worked through the night,” adding that she was expected to make a full recovery due to their skills.

Ms O’Neill also thanked “her beautiful family, friends and colleagues for their unflinching care and support” and the public for their “outpouring of support and kindness”.