02.06.2026 20:50
Two separate shark attacks within 24 hours in Recife, a city in Brazil's Pernambuco state, have put the region on alert. After an 11-year-old child swimming at Boa Viagem Beach, a 19-year-old young woman was also attacked by a shark. Both victims were taken to the hospital and had their severely injured legs amputated. While experts highlight the area's risk, local authorities have increased safety measures along the coastline.
Two major shark attacks that occurred within 24 hours in Recife, Brazil, have caused great concern and a state of alarm in the country. In the incidents that took place a day apart, both victims were seriously injured and lost limbs.
SECOND HORROR A DAY APART
While the shock of the first incident had not yet subsided, a second attack occurred on the famous Boa Viagem Beach in the state of Pernambuco. Marcela Vitória de Lima Santos, 19, who entered the sea to cool off, suddenly became the target of a shark in the water. With great effort from nearby citizens, the young woman was pulled from the water, and health teams waiting on the beach immediately provided first aid.
HER LEG WAS AMPUTATED
After on-site intervention, Santos was rushed to the hospital with an emergency code and taken into surgery immediately. However, her right leg, severely damaged by the shark's blows, had to be amputated above the knee despite all medical efforts. Authorities reported that the young woman in intensive care has overcome life-threatening danger, but her condition is being closely monitored.
AN 11-YEAR-OLD CHILD SUFFERED THE SAME FATE
Just one day before this tragic event, a similar atrocity occurred along the same coastline. An 11-year-old child named João Lucas Castor Nemezio Sales was attacked by a shark while swimming and lost his left leg. The child, who also sustained deep wounds on various parts of his body, continues treatment at the hospital.
ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST RISKY COASTLINES
Marine biologists and experts remind that the shores of Recife are among the regions with the highest density of shark attacks worldwide. It is known that especially Boa Viagem and Piedade beaches, due to their deep current patterns and ecological structure, have been the scene of dozens of fatal and injury cases in past years.
SECURITY MEASURES ON BEACHES RAISED TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL
Following the successive bad news, local authorities and coast guard teams took action. While patrol numbers on beaches have been increased, expert teams have begun investigating the environmental reasons behind sharks approaching the shore so closely. Authorities called on citizens not to go beyond warning signs and to avoid entering the sea during hours declared risky.