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Florida Girl, 9, Survives Savage Shark Attack While Snorkeling

The young girl’s hand was mostly torn off, according to her mother.

A nine-year-old girl was savaged by shark while snorkeling off Boca Grande, Florida, Wednesday. According to a statement from her family obtained by Gulf Coast News, the young girl, identified as Leah Lendel, went underwater to snorkel and re-emerged screaming, her hand mostly torn off and covered in blood. Her mother, Nadia, was nearby with her two toddlers and screamed for help. Her husband swam over but Leah managed to walk to shore on her own, where a group of construction workers wrapped her hand in shirts. She was then airlifted to a Tampa hospital and underwent a six-hour surgery. Her mom explained that they “had to get arteries from her leg to the hand” and successfully got the blood flow back to her hand. “Thank God she can move her fingers,” Nadia said. Boca Grande Fire Department Chief C.W. Blosser III said that “when you get a call like that, you always hope for the best and prepare for the worst, so to speak.” Leah’s uncle, Max Derinskiy, told NBC News that Leah will need “a lot of physical therapy to hopefully get her hand functioning again.” He also started a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of medical expenses.