13-Year-Old Boy Dies in Brazil Shark Attack: ‘Ate Almost His Entire Leg’

A 13-year-old boy has died following a shark attack in Brazil.

Deivson Rocha Dantas was swimming on Thursday afternoon at Praia Del Chifre in Olinda, playing with friends in the water, when he was attacked by an unidentified shark.

Sadly, the boy did not survive the incident.

As translated from Portuguese, Dantas’ cousin, Lídia Emanuele, told TV Globo:

"[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.”

This region of Brazil is notoriously sharky, filled with bulls and tigers. Back in 2023, surfer André Luiz Gomes da Silva was attacked at the same spot, spending days in the hospital. Following the incident, he spoke of the lack of infrastructure:

"We don't have any support here, there's no lifeguard here, no Municipal Guard here to help. Just wanting environmental awareness, just making people aware isn't enough. [...] He was a child, man, children don't know what they're doing. [...] The signs fell apart and that's how it's been ever since, we're really abandoned here," he said.

In a 2012 report from the BBC, they claimed the region to be “one of the most dangerous places in the world to swim,” on account of the frequent shark activity.

Why is it so sharky? The BBC continued:

“It is Recife's Port Suape, though, that many see as the biggest cause of the recent attacks. Located 20km (12 miles) south of Boa Viagem Beach, where most of the attacks have occurred, the port has been the cause of much disturbance for marine life along the coast and the nearby estuaries.

“Construction began in the late 1970s, but it was not until 1992 that it began to attract significant shipping traffic. Before 1992, Recife had no more shark attacks than any other beach in Brazil, but the change was immediate and dramatic.”

And this, they attribute to the large number of attacks to the port’s construction.

Huge condolences to the family and friends of the young boy who lost his life.