Shark Bites Boy in Gulf of Mexico Off Florida Panhandle

Authorities say a shark bit a boy wading in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida Panhandle.

Destin Fire Control District Capt. Mark Hutchinson says the boy was bitten on the right forearm Saturday afternoon.

Hutchinson tells the Northwest Florida Daily News that the boy had been about knee deep in the water. He says the bite "was not an amputation, but a pretty significant-sized laceration."

The boy was taken to a hospital. His name was not released. A message left Sunday for a Fort Walton Beach Medical Center spokesman was not immediately returned.

Hutchinson says the boy never lost consciousness and was able to talk with authorities.

Last month, a shark bit a man on the foot in the waters off Pensacola.

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