Australian boy dies days after being bitten by shark in Sydney Harbor
A 12-year-old boy who was bitten by a shark in Australia's Sydney Harbor has died of his injuries, his family said on Saturday.
The parents of 12-year-old Nico Antic said their son died of the injuries suffered when a large shark attacked him last week as he and his friends were jumping into the water.
"We are heartbroken to share that our son, Nico, has passed away," Lorena and Juan Antic said in a statement.
"Nico was a happy, friendly, and sporty young boy with the most kind and generous spirit. He was always full of life and that's how we'll remember him," his parents said.
At the time of the attack, the children were leaping into the water off a 20-foot rock in the eastern Sydney suburb of Vaucluse. Recent heavy rain had drained into the harbor, turning the water murky, police said. His friends pulled him out of the water and he was taken to Sydney Children's Hospital in critical condition.
In their statement, his family thanked first responders and medical personnel for the care they provided.
The Sydney shark attack that killed Antic was one of four recorded in the span of two days, which prompted officials to close dozens of the city's beaches. Around noon on Monday, an 11-year-old boy was on a surfboard that was attacked by a shark. The boy was uninjured in the incident. Later that day, a surfer in his 20s was bitten on the leg by a shark. Another surfer had minor injuries after being bitten by a shark on Tuesday.
Officials said poor water quality was "really conducive" to shark activity and advised swimmers stay out of the surf. Shark surveillance has been ramped up at area beaches, Australian media reported.
"If you're thinking about going for a swim, just go to a local pool because at this stage, we're advising that beaches are unsafe," Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said.
Antic's death was Sydney's third shark-related death in recent months. In September, a great white shark mauled surfer Mercury Psillakis to death at a popular northern Sydney ocean beach. Two months later, a bull shark killed a woman swimming off a remote beach north of Sydney.
Australian scientists believe increasingly crowded waters and rising ocean temperatures are swaying sharks' migratory patterns, which may be contributing to a rise in attacks.
The International Shark Attack File, a database of global shark attacks maintained by the University of Florida, recorded more than 1,280 shark incidents around Australia since 1791. More than 250 of those incidents resulted in death. The database noted that a "disproportionate" amount of people died from shark bites in Australia in 2023, compared to the rest of the world.