A 12-year-old Australian boy died after a brutal shark attack in Sydney Harbor, his family confirmed Saturday.
Nico Antic had been fighting for his life since Jan. 18, when he was attacked while swimming at a popular cliff-jumping spot known as Jump Rock near Shark Beach in the eastern Sydney suburb of Vaucluse.
His family announced Saturday that he had died.
They also thanked first responders and medical staff at Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick for their efforts and members of the community for their support.
A GoFundMe campaign launched by a family friend had raised more than $266,000 as of Saturday evening.
According to police, the attack happened around 4:20 p.m. Jan. 18, after Antic jumped from a 20-foot ledge into the water. He sustained severe injuries to both legs, believed to have been caused by a large shark.
His three friends immediately jumped into the water, pulled him to shore and called for help. Antic was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Local media reported at the time that he had lost both legs.
The tragedy is among a surge of shark incidents across Australia. Dozens of beaches were closed this week after four shark attacks in mere days.