A drowning teen was mere moments away from being rescued when a shark appeared out of nowhere and bit off a chunk of her leg.

Bruna Gobbi, 18, of São Paulo was swimming with a cousin near Boa Viagem beach off the coast of Recife in northeastern Brazil, when the two suddenly began to drown.

After waiting five long minutes for lifeguards to arrive at the scene, Bruna and her cousin Daniele were seconds away from being rescued when a shark suddenly attacked Bruna and tore into her left leg.

Though rescuers managed to bring Bruna back to shore alive, the injury she sustained was too severe, and she died during amputation surgery later that day.

Fifty-seven people have been victims of shark attacks since the state of Pernambuco began keeping track in 1992.

"We knew there were risks of an attack, but I didn't think that it would happen in the shallow (water), but in the deep," Daniele told Globo TV.

A government official said they believed Bruna was attacked by a bull shark.

Local authorities have petitioned the government in the past to declare an outright ban on swimming in areas known to be inhabited by sharks.

[photos via Getty, Correio]