A 26-year-old woman died in a shark attack on Saturday morning, December 2, 2023, at Melaque Beach, west of Manzanillo, Mexico.

The victim, Maria Fernandez Martinez Jimenez, was swimming with her five-year-old daughter at a coastal aquatic park when the attack happened.

Witnesses reported that Jimenez was floating towards a play platform about 75 feet from the shore when the shark bit her upper leg. She managed to save her daughter from harm by placing her on the platform. Her daughter miraculously escaped without injury.

Beachgoers and local authorities responded immediately to the incident. Despite the rapid response and efforts to provide first aid, Jimenez died from her injuries, primarily due to severe blood loss from the massive bite wound near the hip. The attack was so brutal that her leg was completely severed.

Over the weekend, a video related to the incident circulated on social media and depicted the aftermath of a shark attack. The footage showed the injured party lying on the Melaque beach sand on Saturday, having been rescued from the Pacific Ocean and brought to safety by first responders.

As a precautionary measure, local authorities closed the beaches in Melaque and the nearby town of Barra de Navidad to swimming. The Cihuatlan municipal government issued warnings to both locals and tourists, urging them to avoid entering the water, and announced a temporary ban on beach access.

The University of Guadalajara, where Jimenez was a former marine biology student, expressed condolences, highlighting her deep connection with the marine environment.

In Mexico, incidents of shark attacks are not common. Back in 2019, an American diver made it through after being bitten on the arm by a shark in Magdalena Bay, near the coast of Baja California Sur.