04 December 2023 , 07:55
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A woman has died after a suspected shark attack severed her leg in front of her five-year-old daughter.
A video too graphic to publish appears to show the aftermath of the horror incident as the victim lay on the sand after being helped out of the water. Onlookers could be heard shouting: "She’s lost her leg" as they waited for emergency responders to arrive.
Despite the quick response by rescuers, she died from blood loss. The woman has been identified locally as 26-year-old Maria Fernandez Martinez Jimenez.
Her daughter miraculously escaped injury despite being beside her in the water off Melaque Beach in the state of Jalisco on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, around 450 miles north of Acapulco. Local reports said she helped the youngster to safety by placing her on a floating play platform after becoming aware she was in danger. The attack on Saturday morning is said to have occurred just 65 feet from the shoreline as a swimming race was taking place which was subsequently suspended.
Onlookers could be heard shouting: "She’s lost her leg" (Facebook)Local authorities issued a warning to locals and visitors yesterday to stay out of the water following the tragedy. Well-wishers left flowers for the victim at a makeshift altar erected on the beach at the spot where she died. Civil Protection workers and firefighters in the municipality of Cihuatlan, which Melaque Beach is part of, said in a message after the incident: "Our officials were carrying out support activities during a swimming event in the bay when they received reports of a person who was having problems getting out of the sea. When they reached the area they discovered a woman who was lifeless with one of her legs amputated, apparently following a shark attack."
Cihuatlan’s municipal government said in a subsequent message, after publishing a pixellated still picture of the footage appearing to show the aftermath of the attack: "Following the terrible incident off one of our beaches, our priority is guaranteeing the safety and wellbeing of all our citizens. That’s why we’ve decided on a precautionary measure of banning access to beaches until further notice. We are working in collaboration with the appropriate authorities to evaluate the situation and take the necessary measures to guarantee security on our beaches."
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The dead woman has been described as a former marine biology student at the University of Guadalajara. University chiefs said in a Facebook tribute, saying it shared the pain of the victim’s friends and family: “We express our condolences following this irreparable loss.” A former University of Guadalajara student added alongside a photo of Maria Fernanda: “I want to express my condolences, affection and support for Maria’s family following her death. I am accompanying this wonderful family I feel as my own in their pain and anguish. I am with you. Rest in peace Maria."