A 12-year-old Australian boy who was bitten by a shark while swimming in Sydney Harbour has died from his injuries, his family confirmed on Saturday.
The victim, Nico Antic, was attacked last week by a large shark while jumping into the water with friends, according to his parents.
“We are heartbroken to share that our son, Nico, has passed away,” Lorena and Juan Antic said in a statement.
The incident occurred when the children were leaping into the water from a six-metre (20-foot) rock in the eastern Sydney suburb of Vaucluse. Police said recent heavy rainfall had washed into the harbour, leaving the water murky at the time of the attack.
Antic suffered heavy bleeding before he was pulled into a police boat and rushed to hospital in critical condition.
“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.
The fatal incident was one of four shark attacks recorded in Sydney over a two-day period, prompting authorities to close dozens of beaches across the city. It was also the third recent shark-related death in the area.
In September, a great white shark killed surfer Mercury Psillakis at a popular northern Sydney beach. Two months later, a bull shark fatally attacked a woman swimming off a remote beach north of the city.
Australian scientists believe that increasingly crowded waters and rising ocean temperatures are influencing sharks’ migratory patterns, a trend that may be contributing to the rise in attacks.
AFP