A 13-year-old girl lost her little toe after piranhas attacked more than 30 swimmers in the Parana River in Santa Fe, Argentina. Lifeguards were overwhelmed treating the injured at the popular Laguna Setubal beach spot.
The teenager was rushed to hospital for an emergency skin graft operation after the attack on Sunday. Alarming footage showed one victim with blood dripping from bandaged feet.
Experts blamed the unusual assault on high temperatures and low water levels, noting that such attacks are unexpected at this time of year. Swimmers were banned from entering the water as lifeguards warned of 'simultaneous attacks'.
Sergio Berardi, a union representative for lifeguards, said: 'We cannot stress enough the importance of heeding the warnings of the lifeguards... now we have seen the damage these piranhas can do.' He added that the fish move in shoals, leading to multiple simultaneous bites.
This incident follows a mass piranha attack in the same river on Christmas Day 2013, which injured 60 people, including a seven-year-old who required finger amputation and a boy with an open hand fracture.
