OAK ISLAND, N.C. — Two young people were vacationing in the beach town of Oak Island, swimming in shallow, waist-deep water, when they were severely injured in shark attacks, town officials said Monday.  The attacks — in which a 12-year-old girl lost part of her arm and suffered a leg injury and a 16-year-old boy lost his left arm less than 2 miles away — happened less than 90 minutes apart Sunday, officials said.  The call about the girl came in about 4:40 p.m., and the call about the boy at 5:51 p.m., town officials said.  Their names haven’t been released, but officials said both were on vacation from other parts of North Carolina.  Martha Harlan of New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington — about 25 miles away, where both victims were airlifted — said both were in good condition Monday morning after surgery.  Officials said they couldn’t confirm whether the same shark attacked them or give details on the size of the animal or animals.  Emergency responders help one of the shark attack victims in Oak Island, North Carolina, on Sunday.  These balloon animals take a lot more than just hot air.  The ladies of the 2015 Royal Ascot only look like headcases.  A baby ray keeps it cute underwater, President Barack Obama gets sheepish, patriotic fans revel in the Women's World Cup and more.  Koalas cuddle, First Lady Michelle Obama speaks in London, monsoon season kicks off in Mumbai and more.  Model Liz Parkinson gets dangerously close to monsters of the deep.  Baby cheetahs get playful, Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton campaign and more.  Jellyfish light up Vienna, a volcano spills lava in Indonesia, a baby giraffe horses around and more.  A baby koala brings your daily dose of cute, floods cripple India and Louisiana, the search for escaped New York prisoners continues and more.  White tiger cubs cuddle, Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Pope Francis and more.  The world's tiniest baby deer debuts, airstrikes devastate Yemen, London hosts a beauty pageant and more.  Theater nerds and A-listers alike get glam for Broadway's biggest night.  A snow monkey gets fresh and clean, Pope Francis is (literally) on the clock and more.  Vigils are held for victims of a capsized Chinese cruise ship, tennis players get passionate at the French Open and more.  At the time they were airlifted, the victims’ injuries were life-threatening, officials said. They credited life-saving efforts by beach bystanders and quick responses from 911 call centers and emergency workers.  The beaches were not closed between the attacks, and Oak Island Mayor Betty Wallace told the Associated Press she didn’t think there was enough time to do so.  The window of less than two hours didn’t give workers enough time to make that decision, she wrote in an email. Beaches were closed after the second attack.  “Our local police ATVs and the sheriff’s boat and helicopter patrolled immediately after the second one, getting everyone out of the water,” Wallace said.  Wallace says that even if the beach had closed after the first attack, the order might not have reached the area of the second incident.  “I don’t know if it would have extended between the two (locations),” she wrote.  On Monday, the beaches were open, with officials encouraging people to stay only in shallow water, Oak Island town manager Tim Holloman said.  Wallace said: “When something like this happens, everyone is on edge, but this is the first time in memory we’ve had an occurrence of this sort.”  Fire Chief Christopher Anselmo told NBC’s “Today” show that Sunday’s attacks were his first such experience in 16 years with the department.  “We can’t guarantee anything — these are ocean waters,” Anselmo said. “There’s a lot of fish and sharks that are in the ocean. There’s nothing we can do to control that. We can only [educate] people to be careful in the water.”  Brunswick County planned to have a boat and a helicopter patrolling the water, Holloway said.  “Oak Island is still a safe place,” Holloman said. “We’re monitoring the situation. This is highly unusual.”
OAK ISLAND, N.C. — Two teenagers were seriously injured in two separate shark attacks in the same North Carolina town on Sunday, terrifying beach goers and prompting one shocked witness to compare ...