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The first images have emerged of Stella Berry, the 16-year-old girl who was fatally mauled by a shark in front of her horrified friends.
She was relaxing by a rope swing with her friends in the Swan River in North Fremantle, at about 3.30pm on Saturday when she saw a pod of dolphins and jumped into the water.
Just moments later, what authorities say was likely a bull shark latched onto her leg.
Stella Berry (pictured), a 16-year-old schoolgirl, was fatally attacked by a shark after jumping into WA’s Swan River on Saturday
The unimaginable horror has rocked the community and sparked an outpouring of grief across the country – as students at Perth’s Shenton College where she attended struggled to cope with the tragedy.
Stella is being remembered as a fun-loving teenager, who loved to make zany videos dancing and miming lyrics with friends frequently showing off her infectious grin.
She was also a talented athlete and keen hockey player.
On Sunday a number of Stella’s friends gathered on the banks of the Swan River near the spot she was attacked.
Stella, who liked to make zany TikTok videos with her friends, was a keen runner and wanted to compete in a marathon
Friend Lara Connolly said Stella was a keen runner who wanted to compete in a marathon.
Stella was the ‘sweetest and smartest girl that I knew’, Laura told the ABC.
‘She never did anything wrong to anybody.’
‘She was so kind. She loved art. I’d ride my bike to see her sometimes and I’d see her running.’
Stella, who was the daughter of two teachers, enjoyed making zany TikTok videos with her friends and family
Shenton College principal Michal Morgan said Stella’s death had caused ‘great sadness, sincere empathy and the deepest regret’.
‘I understand and respect that people respond to grief and loss in different ways, and that a loss such as this can trigger a broad range of emotional responses that are not always anticipated or evident,’ Mr Morgan told The West.
‘I have personally offered, on behalf of the College, our condolences and support to Stella’s family during this very sad time.’
Friends described Stella (pictured) as the ‘sweetest and smartest’ girl that they knew who never did wrong by anybody
Both Ms Berry’s parents are teachers.
Perth local, Joshua Banks, 16, was rope swinging with six friends nearby before the gruesome attack unfolded.
‘Me and my mates Jacob and Harry saw them – we actually watched them pass through the bridge as we (were) rope swinging,’ he told The Daily Telegraph.
‘They passed and we saw them get off the jet skis near the beach and jump off and swim to the shore quickly.’
The teen described what he saw as a ‘completely random attack’ and said he and his friends were left ‘shaken’ by the event.
‘We were completely unaware of this attack and had been swimming and jumping off for about an hour to 45 minutes,’ he said.
A local, who saw the 16-year-old die being mauled by what is believed to be a bull shark, said she heard people screaming before the man jumped in
He added that his friends were ‘aware it could’ve been us’ instead.
Witnesses told police that a man bravely dived into the water to pull the teenage girl out, describing him as a ‘hero’, but paramedics were unable to save her.
A local girl said she heard people screaming before the man jumped in to try and save her life.
Joshua Banks was rope swinging with a group of mates close by and saw the teen girl and her friends on jet skis before they jumped into the water
The girl’s family and friends were seen in a state of shock near the river after she was pulled out.
Emergency services, including police boats, rushed to the scene near the Fremantle traffic bridge and she was pulled out of the water with severe leg injuries.
Fremantle District Acting Inspector Paul Robinson described the incident as ‘traumatic’.
A teenage girl was mauled to death by a shark at Swan River in North Fremantle on Saturday in what eyewitness Joshua Banks described as a ‘completely random attack’
‘It’s an extremely traumatic event for everyone involved and everyone who knew the young girl, so I won’t be going into the extent of the injuries.
‘It is unusual for a shark to be that far down the river … at this point in time an alert has been put out, a shark warning just to let people know this incident has taken place.
‘What we’ve been advised issues with friends on the river, they were on Jet Skis, there was possibly a pod of dolphins been seen nearby, and the young female jumped in the water to swim nearby the dolphins.’
The girl is believed to have been swimming with dolphins when she was attacked by the shark
Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan offered his condolences to Stella’s family and friends.
‘It must be awfully tragic for them, all our thoughts go to them at this point in time,’ he said.
Stella Berry was a student at Shenton College in Perth (pictured). She died on Saturday afternoon
‘In terms of these events, they’re very rare events, but when they happen, it’s just awful.’
It is the first fatal shark attack in the Swan River in a century.
‘We did a whole range of things in the ocean to improve safety for people, but the river is different,’ Mr McGowan said.
‘Flying helicopter patrols, it doesn’t work, because the river is opaque, it’s brown — it’s very difficult to find things that work.’
The 16-year-old girl is understood to have been attacked by a bull shark (stock image)
WA Fisheries Minister Don Punch said other measures could be considered.
‘Shark barriers is something we’re always open to talking to local government about in relation to protected swimming areas,’ he said.
The minister said drum lines are not part of shark mitigation strategy.
While authorities are yet to determine the type of shark involved, Mr Punch said he believed it could be a bull shark.
WA Premier Mark McGowan (pictured) has sent his condolences to the family of shark victim Stella Berry
We do know that bull sharks, particularly, do enter estuaries and freshwater river systems, so it is likely that may be the case,’ he said.
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