Australian 12-year-old bitten by shark dies

A 12-year-old boy bitten by a shark in Sydney Harbour has died from his injuries, his family said Saturday.

Nico Antic was attacked last week while jumping into the water with friends off a six-metre (20-foot) rock in the eastern Sydney suburb of Vaucluse.

“We are heartbroken to share that our son, Nico, has passed away,” his parents, Lorena and Juan Antic, said in a statement.

Police said recent heavy rain had drained into the harbour, leaving the water murky. Antic suffered severe bleeding and was pulled into a police boat before being taken to a hospital in critical condition.

“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,” his parents said.

The attack was one of four shark incidents reported over two days, prompting officials to close dozens of Sydney beaches. It marked the city’s third recent shark-related death.

In September, a great white shark killed surfer Mercury Psillakis at a northern Sydney beach. Two months later, a bull shark killed a woman swimming off a remote beach north of the city.

Scientists say rising ocean temperatures and increasingly crowded waters may be altering sharks’ migratory patterns, contributing to a rise in attacks.