12-year-old Australian boy bitten by shark in Sydney Harbour dies
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A lifeguard places a sign at Manly Beach in Australia on Jan 19 after a man was attacked by a shark in the afternoon..
PHOTO: REUTERS
SYDNEY - An Australian boy has died in hospital after being bitten by a shark in Sydney Harbour
Nico Antic, 12, was attacked on Jan 18 as he and his friends were jumping off rocks in Vaucluse, around 9km from Sydney’s central business district. He was pulled from the water by friends and taken to hospital with severe injuries to both legs.
“We are heartbroken to share that our son, Nico, has passed away,” the family 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.”
Dozens of beaches, including in Sydney, were closed this week after four shark attacks in two days, as heavy rains left waters murky and more likely to attract the animals.
In September, a surfer was killed by a large shark at Sydney’s Long Reef beach.
Australia averages 20 shark attacks a year, fewer than three of them fatal, according to data from conservation groups. Those numbers are dwarfed by drownings on the country’s beaches. REUTERS
