A 13-year-old boy, identified by Brazilian media as Deivson Rocha Dantas, died after a shark attack off Chifre beach in Pernambuco. Doctors said a severe bite to his right thigh led to cardiorespiratory arrest and rescuers were unable to revive him. CEMIT reported Chifre had posted four shark warnings, and the committee will increase monitoring and restart a microchip tracking program. Pernambuco has recorded more than 80 shark attacks since 1992, 26 of them fatal.
13-Year-Old Killed in Shark Attack Off Popular Pernambuco Beach
Shark kills 13-year-old boy at popular beach in Brazil
A 13-year-old boy died on Thursday after being mauled by a shark off Chifre beach, a well-known tourist spot on Brazil's northeastern coast in Pernambuco, authorities said.
The State Committee for Monitoring Shark Incidents (CEMIT) said the attack occurred off Chifre beach. The boy was rushed to hospital but "did not survive his injuries," CEMIT added in a statement.
Dr. Levy Dalton, who treated the victim, told UOL Notícias Brasil that the child suffered a severe bite to his right thigh and subsequently went into cardiorespiratory arrest. "Unfortunately, we were unable to resuscitate him — we couldn't do much for him," Dalton told reporters.
The attack happened off the coast of Chifre beach in Brazil's tourist hotspot Pernambuco, the State Committee for Monitoring Shark Incidents (CEMIT) said. / Credit: CEMIT(Emmanuele Contini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
According to Brazilian outlet G1, the victim has been identified as Deivson Rocha Dantas. His cousin, Lídia Emanuele, told TV Globo the shark "ate almost his entire leg" and that other young beachgoers pulled him from the water.
Authorities noted that dozens of beaches along Pernambuco's turquoise coast have posted shark warnings; Chifre beach had displayed four such notices for bathers prior to the attack. In response to the death, CEMIT said it will increase monitoring and reinstate a previously suspended program to track sharks using microchips.
Since 1992, Pernambuco has recorded more than 80 shark attacks, with 26 classified as fatal, CEMIT said — figures that do not yet include this latest victim.
Officials and responders are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the attack. Local authorities and CEMIT have reiterated safety guidance for beachgoers and advised caution in areas with posted shark warnings.
Context: The incident follows other recent fatal attacks: a 12-year-old boy in Sydney's Harbord Beach and a 56-year-old woman from Minnesota who died after a shark attack in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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