A 12-year-old boy has died following a shark attack in Sydney Harbour, his family confirmed on Saturday.
Nico Antic was seriously injured last week when a large shark attacked him while he was in the water with friends. His parents, Lorena and Juan Antic, later announced his death.
“We are heartbroken to share that our son, Nico, has passed away,” they said in a statement. The incident occurred in the eastern Sydney suburb of Vaucluse, where Nico and other children had been jumping into the harbour from a rock about six metres high. Police said recent heavy rainfall had washed into the harbour, leaving the water cloudy at the time.
After the attack, Nico was pulled from the water and taken aboard a police boat before being rushed to hospital in critical condition, suffering severe blood loss.
Remembering their son, his parents said: “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.”
The attack was part of a series of shark incidents in Sydney waters, with four recorded over just two days. Authorities responded by closing dozens of beaches across the city.
Nico’s death marked the third recent fatal shark incident in Sydney. In September, surfer Mercury Psillakis was killed by a great white shark at a busy northern Sydney beach.
Two months later, a woman died after being attacked by a bull shark while swimming at a remote beach north of the city.
Australian scientists believe increasingly crowded waters and rising ocean temperatures are swaying sharks’ migratory patterns, which may be contributing to a rise in attacks.
