Australian boy killed by shark in Sydney Harbour honoured at Bondi Beach

Feb 1 (Reuters) – An Australian boy who died after being bitten by a shark in Sydney Harbor was honored at a surfing ceremony at Bondi Beach on Sunday, following a series of shark attacks on the country’s east coast.

Nico Antic, 12, died in hospital on January 24, six days after he was attacked while jumping off rocks with friends in Vaucluse, about 9 km (5.5 miles) from Sydney’s CBD. His friends pulled him out of the water, suffering serious injuries in both legs.

On Sunday, a community at Bondi Beach honored Nico with an over-the-air broadcast from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Footage showing paddle boarders and surfers forming a large circle in the ocean.

Local surf lifeguards as well as school friends and relatives also attended, according to local media reports.

In January, dozens of beaches, including Sydney, were closed following four shark attacks in two days as heavy rains made the water murky and more likely to attract sharks.

In September, a surfer was killed by a large shark at Long Reef Beach in Sydney.

According to data from conservation groups, there are an average of 20 shark attacks a year in Australia, and fewer than three of them are fatal. These numbers are dwarfed by the number of drownings on the nation’s beaches.

(Reporting by Sam McKeith, ‌Sydney Editing by Rod Nickel)