Overview
- An 11-year-old boy was bitten off Piedade Beach and was taken to hospital after the Sunday attack, where surgeons amputated his left leg in an emergency operation.
- His uncle, Aldemir Jose, and an on-scene nurse pulled the boy from the water before emergency responders arrived and transported him for further care.
- The State Committee for Monitoring Shark Incidents (CEMIT) confirmed warning signs were posted at the site and said a bathing ban covers the stretch from the BarraMares Hotel to the Piedade Church.
- The episode was the third recorded shark encounter in Pernambuco so far this year and comes against a regional record of 83 attacks and 27 deaths over the past 34 years, including two limb-amputating incidents at Piedade in March 2023.
- Local residents and businesses say the attack intensifies safety concerns and could prompt tighter restrictions and renewed enforcement of bans that may affect beach use and tourism in the area.