13-Year-Old Dies in Shark Attack Near Recife

A 13-year-old boy died after a shark attack while swimming with friends at a popular tourist beach near Recife, Brazil, on January 29. Deivson Rocha Dantas suffered severe injuries to his right thigh in the incident at Praia Del Chifre in Olinda, Pernambuco state, and was pronounced dead upon arrival at Tricentenário Hospital in Bairro Novo.

The attack occurred around 2 p.m. local time as Dantas played in the ocean with peers of similar age. Witnesses reported that the shark struck from behind, inflicting a deep wound that severed an artery and caused extensive blood loss. Dantas's friends pulled him from the water and dragged him to shore, where he fainted and struck his head. Emergency services were called, but an ambulance did not arrive in time, and he was transported to the hospital in a private vehicle.

Lídia Emanuele, Dantas's cousin, described the frantic scene to local reporters. "The shark ate almost his entire leg," she said. "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...