The 12-year-old boy who suffered severe injuries following a shark bite in the waters of Sydney, Australia, is unlikely to regain consciousness.

The boy, who has been identified as Nico Antic, was dragged out of the water by friends after he was attacked by what is thought to have been a bull shark.

New South Wales police applied tourniquets to Antics’ injured legs before he was transported to Sydney Children’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery.

Despite the best efforts of emergency responders and medics, however, it has since emerged that Nico is unlikely to recover from his injuries.

In a GoFundMe campaign raising funds for Nico’s recovery, family friend Victor Piñeiro said that Nico’s experience ‘has led to the worst possible outcome’.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, an unidentified family member has said that Nico ‘is still asleep, but will not be able to make it because his brain is completely unresponsive.

A total of four shark attacks occurred within 48 hours along the coast of New South Wales between 18 and 20 January. On the morning of Monday, 19 January, an 11-year-old boy surfing at Dee Why Beach on Sydney’s northern shore escaped injury after a shark bit his surfboard and knocked him into the water.

The same evening, 27-year-old musician Andre de Ruyter was attacked and seriously injured while surfing at North Steyne Beach in Manly. Mr de Ruyter suffered severe blood loss and remains in hospital in critical condition.

The bites are thought to be from bull sharks hunting in Sydney Harbour after heavy rains (Photo: Shutterstock)
On Tuesday, a 39-year-old man was injured by a shark while surfing at Point Plomer, around 250 miles (400km) north of Sydney along the New South Wales (NSW) Coast.

His injuries are not thought to be severe as the shark bit into his surfboard and wetsuit, and he was able to drive himself to hospital for treatment.

Although the species of shark involved has not been formally identified, bite marks on the victims and their surfing equipment indicate that bull sharks are most likely.

A spokesperson for the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) also said in a statement they believed that a bull shark was involved, ‘based on the nature of the injuries and the environmental conditions at the site’ –

New South Wales Police Superintendent ‍Joseph McNulty told reporters that the incidents likely occurred due to several days of heavy rains in the region, which caused a large outflow of fresh large outflow of fresh water into Sydney Harbour.

At the moment we’ve experienced a lot of freshwater in the harbour, it’s brackish water, so you can’t see the bottom, so I would recommend not swimming there right now,’ said Superintendent McNulty. ‘We believe the combination of brackish water, freshwater run-off and splashing created a perfect storm for that shark attack.’

Beaches remained closed following the attacks, with regular patrols by jetski and drone.