A young girl was mauled to death by a shark in front of horrified swimmers.
16-year-old Stella Berry was swimming with dolphins in Perth, Australia, when the Year 11 student was suddenly attacked by a bull shark on Saturday afternoon.
The attack that took place at the Swan River in North Fremantle was witnessed by several people including Joshua Warwick and Luke Smith who have since spoken out and recalled the ordeal.
“There was this big scream and then we see a girl just jump off and we see a few fins,” Luke said.
“We saw the police running down the hill, and we thought maybe they were chasing someone and then we saw a girl on the ground getting resuscitated,” Joshua added.
According to the reports, the girl was pulled to safety by brave onlookers after the shark that latched onto her leg had let go of her.
While the emergency services tried their best to save the young girl, she, unfortunately, succumbed to her injuries.
Since her tragic death, Stella’s heartbroken family members have spoken out.
“We are devastated and deeply shocked by the loss of our beautiful daughter Stella. We want to acknowledge the amazing support we have received from our family, friends, authorities and the WA community,” parents Matt and Sophie Berry said.
“Stella was a vibrant and happy girl with plans of living in Europe after school. She was a caring person and was a dear friend to many, across a variety of schools in the area.”
The grieving parents added: “She had an infectious laugh which we couldn’t help laughing at too when we heard it. Our thoughts are with Stella’s many friends at this time.
“Stella loved creating art and spending time with her friends, particularly at the river and beach. She had her skipper’s ticket and often took friends out on the river for a day of ‘scurfing’. She was a beautiful and loving big sister and the best daughter we could have hoped for.”
Paying a tribute to the 16-year-old athlete who loved swimming and running was also her sister who said she wouldn’t change anything about her sibling.
“Thank you for your blessings. She was the best sister I could ever wish for, I would never change a thing about her,” she wrote.
Our thoughts remain with Stella’s family and friends during this challenging time.
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