a day ago
Girl, 9, Attacked by Piranhas During Family Lake Outing: 'Her Toes Were Gone, It Was Terrifying,' Mom Recalls
Nine-year-old girl Yasmin Vieira was bitten by flesh-eating piranhas in Brazil on June 8, according to local reports
The attack allegedly occurred shortly after the victim placed her legs in the water at Lago Sul in Caldas Novas while on a family outing
"As a mother, seeing this is devastating," Yasmin's mother Janaina Pereira told Correio BrazilienseA nine-year-old girl in Brazil has been mutilated in a piranha attack.
Yasmin Vieira was attacked moments after placing her legs in the water at Lago Sul in the Brazilian municipality of Caldas Novas during a family visit to the area on Sunday, June 8. Flesh-eating piranhas gnawed at her feet and ripped two of her toes off, national newspapers Correio Braziliense, G1, and Metropoles reported.
'[She] really wanted to see the place, we went to the edge so she could put her feet in the water. It was a matter of seconds,' her mother Janaina Pereira, 31, told Correio Braziliense. 'I only heard her scream: 'Mommy, the piranha got my foot!'. She jumped and got out of the water. When she sat down, I saw that her toes were gone. It was terrifying.'
The lake was full of children in the public area at the time and there was 'poor signage' in regards to any potential harmful creatures residing in the water, the mom alleged.
Following the attack, Janaina recalled seeing her daughter 'losing a lot of blood," per Correio Braziliense.
Members of the national emergency service team SAMU responded 15 minutes later and transported Yasmin to the Maternal Hospital. She underwent a procedure to close up her wounds and was discharged the same day, according to the outlet.
Janaina said seeing her daughter in 'constant' pain has been 'devastating.'
'She is sad because she keeps questioning something that was ripped from her body. As a mother, seeing this is devastating," the mom told Correio Braziliense. "My emotional state is terrible. She tries to be strong, but she goes through a lot of suffering.'
Janaina added that she keeps her daughter's foot covered bandages 'to protect her from the visual impact,' hoping that eventually she'll recover emotionally as well as physically from the traumatic incident.
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The City of Caldas Novas confirmed the attack in a statement, saying, "The child was promptly attended to by the medical team at the Children's Emergency Care Unit (PAI), including an orthopedic specialist, who performed all necessary procedures to minimize the injuries – including the Figueiredo Technique," per Correio Braziliense.
The statement added that 'preventive actions have been carried out by the Municipal Secretariat for the Environment and Water Resources in several public access locations, either by installing warning signs or through environmental education campaigns for tourists and residents."
Read the original article on People
