World Cup City Warns Fans of Shark Attacks

Fans who watched Costa Rica defeat Italy in Recife, Brazil on Friday were also warned to be on the lookout for shark attacks. 

According to the Associated Press, there have been “24 deadly attacks around Recife since 1992,” and officials fear that drunk fans will ignore the serious threat: 

Several lifeguards sit together under a tent almost directly in front of the spot where the last attack took place. Another, riding a personal watercraft, lurches over the breakers as he takes a path parallel to the beach as if to shepherd swimmers close to shore.

Large warning signs have been placed along a sidewalk separating a tree-lined sea wall from a bustling three-lane boulevard fronting a seemingly endless wall of high-rises. At the center of each sign is a sleek silhouette of a shark with the words “danger,” or “caution,” written in red and blue lettering in both Portuguese and English. Similar posters have been affixed to octagonal refreshment huts atop the seawall. Planted in the sand near the water are a string of red flags emblazoned in yellow with the word “Perigo,” Portuguese for danger.