A young surfer in Australia died Sunday after a shark attack at a popular surfing spot.

Police say the man, in his early 20's, was bodyboarding with a group of friends off a crowded beach near Bunker Bay in Western Australia when the shark attacked.

The victim died at the scene, and his friends pulled his mauled body out of the water. The beach was closed after the attack, and police are searching for the shark.

Australia's conservation group Taronga says there have been 53 human fatalities from shark attacks in Australian waters in the past 50 years.