Brazil: Tiger shark attacks 19-year-old on beach, she loses leg

A 19-year-old woman in Brazil has lost her leg following a tiger shark attack on Boa Viagem beach, sending shockwaves through the community and prompting an urgent response from authorities. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon, June 1, as the young woman, identified as Marcela Vitória de Lima Santos, was near the shore.

Eyewitnesses, including an off-duty doctor, rushed to provide immediate assistance. The doctor applied a hemostatic bandage to the severely injured leg, effectively stopping the profuse bleeding and significantly improving her chances of survival. Santos was promptly transported to Hospital da Restauração.

Petrus de Andrade Lima, the hospital director, emphasized the critical role of the doctor's swift intervention. "For patients presenting with such severe bleeding where there is an immediate risk to life, we must stop the bleeding, and in the case of limbs, especially amputated limbs like hers, the hemostatic bandage saves lives," he stated. Doctors confirmed that her leg was amputated at the thigh level.

The young woman's cousin, Jonas André, was instrumental in pulling her from the water and helping her reach the shore. "I myself helped her in the sea, I went into the water because she was moving away a little, losing strength, I don't know, and then I grabbed her by the hand, pulled her out, dragged her, swimming towards the shore and people arrived who helped me. She was very injured, she had already lost her leg," Jonas recounted.

This attack follows another shark incident just ten minutes away at Piedade beach the previous day, where an 11-year-old boy, Joao Lucas Castor Nemezio Sales, was also attacked. These repeated incidents have heightened concerns among local authorities and residents.