Girl, 13, has a toe bitten off after PIRANHA attack on swimmers in Argentinian river leaves 30 people with horrific injuries
- WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
- A teenage girl, 13, had one of her little toes bitten off by piranhas in Argentina
- Around 30 people were injured after the attack at a spot along the Para River
- Local authorities blamed high temperatures and low water levels for the attack
A teenage girl had a toe bitten off and around 30 other people were injured after being attacked by piranhas while bathing in an Argentinian river.
The 13-year-old was rushed to hospital for an emergency skin graft op after losing her little toe in the horror incident at a popular sunbathing spot by the Parana River in Santa Fe.
Local authorities banned people from entering the water after the weekend attacks.
A teenage girl had a toe bitten off and around 30 other people were injured after being attacked by piranhas while bathing in the water at Laguna Setubal in Argentina (pictured)
Local TV footage reported by El Litoral showed one of the casualties being tended to by medics with a bandage over his big toe and blood dripping from foot wounds.
Sergio Berardi, a union representative for lifeguards in the area, blamed the piranha attacks on the high temperatures and low water levels.
Confirming a 13-year-old had lost a toe in one of the incidents, he said: ‘We cannot stress enough the importance of heeding the warnings of the lifeguards, especially families with children, now we have seen the damage these piranhas can do.
‘When the lifeguards see one of two people being bitten, they automatically order people out of the water, but often this action is not enough or efficient because of the amount of people in the area.
Local TV reports showed images of medics treating wounds sustained by the bathers to their hands and feet
‘On Sunday afternoon the lifeguards on duty were rushed off their feet trying to deal with all the people who suffered bite injuries at the same time.
‘These fish tend to move in shoals so we get a lot of simultaneous attacks.
‘We didn’t expect what happened to occur before summer even starts here. If people take a quick dip in the water they should be okay but the best thing is to take advantage of the showers that are installed on the beach.’
The attacks, at a popular riverside beach spot called Laguna Setubal, have been blamed on a piranha cousin called palometas.
On Christmas Day 2013, more than 60 people were injured in a mass piranha attack in the same river.
Dozens of bathers including more than 20 children were bitten by the shoal of meat-eating fish during the surprise attack.
This individual had a chunk bitten out of one of their fingers by the piranhas during the attack
A seven-year-old girl lost part of one of her fingers and a young boy was left with an open fracture in his hand.
Other swimmers suffered deep cuts to their ankles, fingers and hands.
The attack happened on a popular beach on the Parana River in the city of Rosario, birthplace of Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi.
Swimmers trying to cool down in 100 degrees Farenheit temperatures raced out of the water bleeding from wounds and shouting for help while the parents of children in the water rushed to their aid to drag them to safety.
Coastguards called paramedics so they could assist the most seriously injured before police temporarily closed off the beach, forcing people out of the water who continued to swim despite the danger.
The attack was the most serious of its kind in the city since 2008 when 40 swimmers were hurt.