Boy, 11, has leg amputated after horrific shark attack at Brazil holiday hotspot

Brazil

The youngster was rushed to hospital after being bitten on a notorious stretch of Piedade Beach while swimming with family

Natalia Penza

An 11-year-old boy was stretched off a beach and rushed to hospital after being bitten by a shark.

The youngster underwent surgery yesterday after the attack in Jaboatao dos Guararapes near the Brazilian city of Recife before his uncle confirmed his left leg had been amputated

Aldemir Jose told a local newspaper overnight he had gone to the beach yesterday morning with three children including his nephew and daughter after finishing work.

Fighting back tears he said: “We were all in the sea before the attack and I had just left the water and left the kids in the sea.

“Then I heard a strange noise and when I turned round all I could see was blood. I didn’t think twice and raced into the water to get my nephew out.

“He was conscious and just kept begging me not to let him die.”

A nurse tended to the injured youngster until the first emergency responders arrived.

Initial reports said the shark had bitten the child in the hip and left hand in the incident that occurred just after 1.30pm local time yesterday.

His security guard uncle later told local paper Diario de Pernambuco the information he had been given was that his left leg had been amputated.

The beach where the attack occurred is called Praia da Piedade.

It is open to bathing but a sign on the beach warns locals and holidaymakers: “Danger - Shark Zone.”

Danise Alves, the executive secretary of the State Committee for Monitoring Shark Incidents (CEMIT), said: “In Jaboatao, the bathing ban extends from the BarraMares Hotel to the Piedade Church.

“Where the boy was attacked, the sign informs that the area is subject to attacks and provides information on when swimming should be avoided.”

Yesterday’s shark attack was the third so far this year in the north-east Brazilian state of Pernambuco which Recife and nearby Jaboatao dos Guararapes both form part of.

Both the previous attacks happened in January.

In the last 34 years there have been 83 recorded shark attacks in the state, resulting in 27 deaths.

Some travellers to the area have commented on the shark danger on sites like Tripadvisor.

One English speaker said recently “A very cool beach, unfortunately inappropriate for bathing because it is quite dangerous due to the attacks of sharks, but worth the walk.”

Another said: “That beach is beautiful and we stayed in a hotel facing the sea, but you cannot bathe because of the presence of sharks.

“There are many beaches 50 or 100 km away, so it was essential for us to rent a car.”

On March 5 2023 a 14-year-old lost one of his legs after being attacked by a shark on Piedade Beach.

The following day a 15-year-old boy lost his left arm after entering the sea in the same area.