Shark nearly bites off 9-year-old girl’s hand in attack near Florida coast

Leah Lendel was snorkeling with her mother and younger siblings when the animal bit her

A 9-year-old girl nearly lost her hand after a shark attacked her while she swam just off the coast of Florida recently, according to her family and witnesses.

The harrowing attack served up a grim reminder that the Sunshine state is a world leader in unprovoked shark bites against humans - though such cases remain rare and were evidently waning as of late.