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Mass. man is latest shark attack victim in North Carolina

Beach-goers attended to Andrew Costello after he was bitten.Associated Press

A former Boston Herald editor was badly injured Wednesday when he was bit by a shark several times as he swam with his son in waters off the North Carolina coast, becoming the seventh victim of such an attack in that area in recent weeks. officials said.

Andrew F. Costello, 67, of Wareham, was listed in fair condition at a Greenville, N.C., hospital on Wednesday night after the vicious attack, according to authorities in that state and the Herald.

A call to a number listed for Costello’s family in Wareham was not returned late Wednesday.

Costello was swimming in front of a lifeguard stand in the National Park Service Day Use Area at Ocracoke Island, N.C., shortly after noontime when a gray shark, about six to seven feet in length, “pulled him under the water, and [he] sustained several bites to his rib cage, hip, lower leg, and both hands,” said the Hyde County Emergency Services Department, in a statement.

Rescuers “stabilized [Costello’s] blood pressure and were able to get him in a stable, conscious, and oriented condition prior to medical transport. [Costello] was flown to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, N.C. for further medical treatment,” Emergency Services said.

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A Vidant spokeswoman said Wednesday night in an e-mail that Costello was in fair condition, and that his family had requested privacy.

“He’s doing well,” said his niece, Freya Solray, who said Costello’s wife Geraldine and sons Douglas and Terrence are with him, according to the Herald. In a photo that was forwarded to her by the family, she told the newspaper, “He’s smiling.”

A Herald spokeswoman could not be reached for comment on Wednesday night.

The National Park Service said in a statement that Costello had been swimming about 25 to 30 feet offshore in waist-deep water with his adult son at the time of the attack. Neither his son nor any other swimmers were hurt, the Park Service said.

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Costello worked at the Herald for 21 years and served as its editor for a decade until he resigned in 2004.

At the time of Costello’s resignation, which surprised and saddened many colleagues, Herald publisher Patrick Purcell said he had been “a tremendous asset to the newspaper and we were fortunate to have him at the helm for the last 10 years. Andy is the consummate news professional.”

“Costello was someone who had a lot of respect in the newsroom,” another Herald employee told the Globe at the time. “He was a traditional newsman.” Costello later taught journalism at Stonehill College, a Catholic college in Easton.

“I’m really, really interested in doing this,” Costello told the Boston Phoenix in 2005 as he prepared to begin working as a professor.

“I really believe in the [journalism] profession. I think it’s important for people who have had a lot of experience to talk directly with younger people. It’s a new world. What the constants are are good writing and reporting,” he added.

A Stonehill spokesman could not be reached for comment on Wednesday night.

Stephen Lee
Jackson Fuqua
Jackson Fuqua

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe. Lauren Fox can be reached at lauren.fox@globe.com. Alexandra Koktsidis can be reached at alexandra.koktsidis@globe.com.