A 61-year-old surfer in Hawaii had his leg severed after being bitten in a shark attack in waters off Maui on Friday morning, authorities said.

The man, whose name was not released, was surfing around 7:05 a.m. at a spot known as “Sand Piles” near Waiehu Beach Park when the shark attacked him, Maui County said in a news release.

“First responders confirmed that the victim’s leg was completely severed just below the knee,” authorities said.

The surfer was sitting on his board in the water when the shark suddenly swam up and bit his leg. HawaiiNewsNow reported: citing sources.

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The surfer’s leg was severed when a shark bit him in the waters off Maui, authorities said. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

Witnesses who spoke to the media described hearing the surfer’s screams and how good samaritans He rushed to help him.

“I heard this scream and I looked, and all of a sudden I saw him splash and I don’t know what was going on,” David Basques told the station. “He swam maybe more than halfway and then I saw someone jump out and they went to bring him in.”

Authorities said the beach would be closed and warned beachgoers to stay out of the water until further notice. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Police arrived first at the beach, where the surfer remained alert after being brought to shore, and applied tourniquets to control the bleeding. The surfer was then taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition. Authorities did not release an update on the surfer’s condition.

A GoFundMe account identified the surfer as a man named Kenji, who was described as an “upbeat, dedicated” and enthusiastic surfer.

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Kenji was recovering well in the ICU, according to a post on the donation page, which said that immediately after coming out of surgery he declared, “I still love the ocean!”

It was unclear what type of shark was involved in the attack. (iStock)

Maui County Officials confirmed that a shark had bitten the surfer, although no details were provided about what type of shark was involved.

The incident prompted officials to close the beach park and warn beachgoers to stay out of the water in the area until further notice.

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The shark attack follows a fatal incident in June when celebrities surfer tamayo perry He died in a shark attack while surfing off the north shore of Oahu.