Family watch in horror as shark kills surfing girl, 17
THE uncle of a 17-year-old girl killed by a shark while surfing off Australia told of the family’s heartbreak yesterday.
Laeticia Brouwer was killed in front of her horrified family.
Her father Leon rushed in to the sea but could not help Laeticia, whose left leg had been mauled in Monday’s tragedy.
Her mother and two sisters watched as her father pulled her ashore in Wylie Bay near Esperance, Western Australia.
Paramedics tried to save Laeticia, of Singleton, near Perth, but her blood loss was too severe and she died later in hospital. Her broken surfboard was being examined yesterday to try to determine the species of shark that attacked her.
A great white had been spotted in the area within the last few weeks, it was reported.
Yesterday her uncle Steve Evans read a family statement saying: “We are heartbroken by this tragic accident but can take comfort in the fact Laeticia died doing something she loved.
“The ocean was her and her family’s passion and surfing was something she treasured doing with her dad and her sisters. Laeticia will be greatly missed by her family, friends and everyone who knew her.
“We are thankful for all the support from the police, ambulance staff and bystanders at the scene.
“We are also thankful for all the help and support from our community at home, especially those from our church, and we can take comfort from the fact Laeticia is now in heaven with her Lord in eternal peace.”
A Western Australia Department of Fisheries spokesman confirmed it was helping police with their inquiries and said the beach had been closed.
The spokesman said: “Our advice to water users is not to undertake surfing, swimming or diving activities in the Wylie Bay area for at least 48 hours.”
Laeticia’s death is the first fatal shark attack in Australia this year. There were two fatal attacks last year, both also in Western Australia.
Australia was second behind the United States for the number of shark scares recorded last year, the International Shark Attack File of the University of Florida, in the US, showed. Victim Laeticia Brouwer, 17, and, above, her bitten-off surfboard