The 12-year-old has died after being in a coma following the horrific shark attack

Nico and his father
Nico’s family are left heartbroken after his death (Image: Supplied)

A family have expressed their “heartbreak” after their “full of life” son has died a week after being attacked by a shark. Nico Antic was mauled by a shark in Sydney on Sunday, January 18.

He was rushed to Sydney’s Children Hopsital after the horrific incident at Nielson Beach, known as Shark beach, and was in a coma. Almost a week after the tragedy his parents have Lorena and Juan have expressed their “heartbreak” as they shared the news of their son’s death.

The family said in a statement: “Nico was a happy, friendly, and sporty young boy with the most kind and generous spirit. He was always full of life and that’s how we’ll remember him.

“We would like to sincerely thank the first responders and the teams at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick for everything they did to care for Nico. We would also like to thank everyone in the community for their support and kind messages.

“We ask you please respect our privacy during this exceptionally difficult time.”

Nico was mauled when with friends jumping off rocks into the water at the end of the beach. The incident was the first in a string of four shark attacks that have taken place across New South Wales in Australia.

Earlier in the week Nico’s sister, Sophie told the Daily Mail Nico is “still asleep, but will not be able to make it because his brain is completely unresponsive”.

Sophie added: “He is a sporty kid and never fails to put a smile on people’s faces. He is loved by many friends and family.”

Commenting on increased shark activity in Sydney, Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said to Australian national broadcaster the ABC: “Anytime after a big weather event there’s always going to be a lot of run-off and out flow of creeks into the ocean and river mouths. We really strongly advocate that nobody swim or surf near river mouths because it’s obviously an area where sharks congregate. If it’s dirty water I’d think twice about going in there.”

Peace added: “We have such poor water quality that’s conducive to bull shark activity … [so] just go to a local pool, because at this stage, we’re advising that the beaches are unsafe.”