British man has foot bitten off by shark while snorkelling off Australian coast

Another Briton has "serious lacerations to his lower leg" from the incident, according to Central Queensland Rescue, which said both men had been taken to hospital in "a serious but stable condition".

Local media reported the men were attacked while in the water near Hook Passage, a body of water between Whitsunday Island and Hook Island which is popular with snorkelers.

Paramedics told Nine Newspapers one of the men was in his early 20s and the other in his late 20s.

The men were taken on a tour boat to Airlie Beach, about 680 miles north of Brisbane, before being airlifted by helicopter around 70 miles to a hospital in the city of Mackay.

There have been numerous shark attacks in the Whitsunday island group in recent years, including a fatal incident at Cid Harbour involving a 33-year-old man last November.