A tragic shark attack at a well-known tourist destination has claimed the life of a 13-year-old boy.
Identified as Deivson Rocha Dantas, the young boy was swimming at Del Chifre Beach in Brazil on Thursday, January 29, when he was attacked by a shark.
Local media reports, translated by PEOPLE, indicate that Dantas was urgently transported to Tricentenário Hospital in Bairro Novo. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries, which included a severe bite on his right thigh.
Levy Dalton, one of the medical professionals who attended to Dantas, explained to reporters, as mentioned in UOL Notícias Brasil: “Unfortunately, we were unable to resuscitate him, (…) unfortunately we couldn’t do much for him.
“He had a fairly extensive injury to an artery in his lower limb, and because the injury was so extensive, he probably lost a lot of blood.
“That’s what led to his death. He arrived at the unit already deceased…”
Lídia Emanuele, Dantas’ cousin, recounted to TV Globo, as reported by local source G1, that he was pulled out of the water after the attack.
“[The shark] ate almost his entire leg. We called the ambulance, but they didn’t arrive in time. So, his own friends, who were the same age as him, pulled him out. They took him out of the sea, dragged him to the corner, and put him on the ground. He also fainted and hit his head. By then he was already cold,” Emanuele explained.
Regarding Dantas’ mother, who reportedly was unaware of his visit to the beach, Emanuele added: “I was at my grandmother’s house. She lives right there [near the beach], on the second floor. I had gone downstairs because my uncle had called his [Deivson’s] mother, because he came to the beach secretly, his mother didn’t know.
“Then, when I got here, his friend was already shouting and saying that the shark had gotten him. I only managed to see the fin and a little bit of the shark. It was big.”
The State Committee for Monitoring Shark Incidents (CEMIT) issued a statement: “The State Committee for Monitoring of Shark Incidents (CEMIT), chaired by the State Secretary for Environment, Sustainability and Fernando de Noronha, confirmed an incident early this Thursday afternoon (29), at Praia Del Chifre, in Olinda, by a sea animal, probably a shark with an identifying species. The incident involved a 13-year-old teenager, who did not withstand his injuries and died.
“CEMIT informs that 150 signs have been installed on the area subject to shark incidents on the coast of Pernambuco, of which, 13 are located in Olinda and 4 specifically, on Del Chifre beach. The area has been monitored by CEMIT for recording incidents since the 90s and is included in State Decree 21.402/99 to establish a ban on practices of nautical activities due to its high risk of incidents.”