‘Don’t let me die’: Moment surfer, 32, is carried to safety by three Good Samaritans after being attacked by a shark in Brazil
- André Gomes was attacked by a shark at Milagres Beach in Pernambuco, Brazil
- The 32-year-old was surfing when he was bitten on the left thigh and calf
- Gomes underwent vascular surgery Monday evening and is in stable condition
Dramatic footage has emerged of three Good Samaritans coming to the rescue of a surfer moments after he was bitten by a shark in Brazil.
André Gomes, 32, was surfing at Milagres beach in Olinda when he was attacked by the shark on Monday afternoon.
Gomes suffered wounds to the left thigh and calf and was rushed to Restauraçao Hospital, where he underwent vascular surgery. He is in a stable condition.
Beach employee Mauro Melo, who carried Gomes to safety along with two others, said that he pleaded. ‘God, Jesus, don’t let me die,’ as he was carried across the sand.
Good Samaritans carry André Gomes across the sand after he was bitten by a shark at Milagres Beach in Pernambuco, Brazil, on Monday. The 32-year-old was surfing when he was attacked by the shark and bitten in the left thigh and calf
André Gomes underwent vascular surgery Monday evening after he was attacked by a shark at a beach in northeastern Brazil
Melo was tending to his bar when he heard Gomes’ cry for help. He grabbed him by the waist and pulled him out of the sea.
‘I wanted to take him out. The calf injuries were the worst,’ Melo recalled.
He was able to make a tourniquet out of a string that surfers use to tie to the board, and wrapped it around the wound.
Dr. Renato Souto credited the paramedic team’s quick response for Gomes’ survival.
‘If it took longer, he could have died. The important thing is that we deliver him stabilized to the (hospital),’ he told Brazilian news outlet G1.
‘It was a shark bite. Very deep. It also affected muscles and vessels.’
Paramedics treat André Gomes moments after he was attacked by a shark at Milagres Beach
A Good Samaritan applies pressure to André Gomes’ foot after he was bitten by a shark
André Gomes is carried at Milagres Beach in Pernambuco, Brazil, moments after he was bitten by a shark on Monday afternoon
Gomes, according to Melo, frequently visits Milagres Beach for surfing despite a ban on practicing the sport since 1999.
There have been at least 74 shark attacks in Pernambuco since 1992, according to the State Shark Incident Monitoring Committee.
Monday’s incident was the first since April 21, 2022 , when a 34-year-old man survived after he was bitten by a shark at Cacimba do Padre Beach. An eight-year-old girl also survived a shark attack at Sueste Beach on January 28, 2022.
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