A teenage girl who died after a shark attack in Australia has been photographed for the first time.
Stella Berry, 16, was jet skiing when she jumped into Perth’s Swan River on Saturday afternoon to swim near dolphins.
But her friends watched in horror as she was mauled by a shark moments later.
Mrs Berry was pulled from the river near the Fremantle road bridge after suffering significant injuries to her leg.
Emergency services rendered medical aid, but the teen tragically died.
Ms Berry’s parents paid tribute to their “vibrant and happy” daughter in a moving public statement.
“Stella was a lively and happy girl with plans to live in Europe after school. She was a caring person and was a dear friend to many, at various schools in the area,” said her parents Sophie and Matt.
“She had an infectious laugh…Stella loved making art and spending time with her friends, especially by the river and on the beach.”
Several of Mrs Berry’s friends gathered on the river bank in North Fremantle on Sunday to pay her homage.
One of her friends, Lara Connolly, told ABC News that she was the “sweetest and smartest girl I knew.”
“She never did anyone wrong,” said Ms Connolly.
“She was so nice. She loved art.”
Acting Inspector Paul Robinson said the victim was riding jet skis with friends when she decided to enter the water.
“A pod of dolphins may have been seen nearby and the young female jumped into the water to swim near the dolphins,” he said.
“The family was not there when this happened but her friends were there and as you can imagine this is an extremely traumatic incident for anyone to witness so obviously we are offering counseling to anyone who witnesses it was or was affected by it. the incident.”
He said the Department of Fisheries had told him it was unusual for a shark to be this far downstream in the river, which flows through Perth into the Indian Ocean.
“I’ve spoken to the fisheries and marine police and unfortunately we have no idea what kind of shark it is,” Robinson said.
Eyewitness Joshua Banks told News Corp, “We saw them get off the jet skis at the beach and jump off and swim quickly to shore.”
There have been three shark attacks in Swan River in 50 years, but the first fatality in 100 years.
There were 15 shark attacks in Australia in 2022 with one death.
Shark attacks in Australia are relatively rare, with an average of 12.5 incidents per year over the past decade. The number of fatalities has declined since the 1990s.