The child was swimming with his father and sister near Horseshoe Reef in Key Largo, Florida, when the shark struck just before 3.30pm on Monday. He suffered severe injuries, losing a “significant amount of blood” from a deep bite above the knee
An eight year old lad is battling for his life in hospital after a shark savaged his leg whilst he was snorkelling with his family close to a coral reef.
The youngster was swimming with his dad and sister near Horseshoe Reef in Key Largo, Florida, when the shark attacked just before 3.30pm on Monday. He sustained horrific injuries, losing a “significant amount of blood” from a deep bite above the knee.
A nearby diving boat raced to assist, steering the family back to Garden Cove Marina where paramedics were standing by, WPLG reports. Emergency responders said the lad appeared “pale” as two tourniquets and pressure bandages were desperately applied in an effort to save his life.
“He’s been applied two tourniquets, we also put [inaudible] bandage to control the bleeding,” a medic radioed. “We’re in the process of getting some vital signs.”
The child was helicoptered to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in Miami in a critical state. He went under the knife for emergency surgery on Monday night, Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay confirmed to the Miami Herald, reports the Mirror.
His condition on Tuesday morning remained unclear.
Officials have not disclosed the boy’s identity, and medics are yet to reveal how long his recovery might take. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has alerted the US Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Florida is known as one of the world’s hotspots for shark encounters. Last year, the state recorded 14 shark bites, accounting for half of all US incidents and nearly a third of worldwide cases, according to data from the Florida Museum of Natural History.
The state’s beaches are notorious for attacks. New Smyrna Beach, near Daytona, holds the grim record with 277 since 1642 – the highest anywhere.
Daytona Beach follows closely behind, while Cocoa Beach, Palm Beach and several others also rank high on the list.
The authorities have yet to confirm the species involved in Monday’s horrific attack, which has left the lad fighting for his life. The Mirror has reached out to Monroe Police, the US Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for further details.
This incident follows shocking footage showing a surfer coming face-to-face with an eight-foot great white shark during a beach paddle.
Carlos Gauna, 45, was filming with his drone camera when he captured the close encounter off the coast of Santa Barbara, California on June 30.
In the video, a man in red shorts can be seen lying face down on his surfboard as the dark-coloured shark approaches him under the water.
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