German tourist Jana Lutteropp dies a week after losing arm in Maui shark attack

Jana Lutteropp, 20, had been in a "very critical condition" on life support following the attack in which she lost an arm

The German citizen was snorkeling 100 yards off Palauea Beach in Makena when a shark attacked and bit off her arm. (GETTY IMAGES)

A young German tourist who was bitten by a shark in Maui, Hawaii, has died a week after the horrific attack.

Jana Lutteropp, 20, had been in a "very critical condition" on life support following the attack in which she lost an arm.

Ms Lutteropp's family said in a statement on Wednesday: 'Jana fought hard to stay alive. However, we are sad to say that she lost her fight today.'

The German citizen was snorkeling 100 yards off Palauea Beach in Makena when a shark attacked and bit off her arm.

A California high school teacher, Rick Moore, bravely jumped into the water to save her. He said Ms Lutteropp kept repeating that she was going to die.

‘As soon as we stand on the beach, we heard this blood-curdling scream,’ the 57-year-old of Laguna Niguel, California, said.

‘We look out and there was blood everywhere in the white water around her,’ he said.

After the attack, Moore's friend Nicholas Grisaffi stood in neck-high water and took Lutteropp from Moore, carrying her limp body out of the water.

They said Wednesday they had been praying for her.

"I was really hoping it would be a miracle and she would pull through," Moore said.

Grisaffi said he's been replaying the ordeal in his mind.

"Rick risked his life," said Grisaffi, 61, of Laguna Beach, California. "Did I do enough? Should I have grabbed my fins and swam out with him?"

It it not known what type of shark attacked Ms Lutteropp . State officials investigating the attack said witnesses did not see it.

The statement from the family said: "Jana was a very beautiful, strong, young woman who was always laughing, and we will forever remember her that way," said the statement from her mother, Jutta Lutteropp and sister, Julia Broeske.

They asked that donations in her memory be made to the Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation.

"We appreciate all the support from the Maui community, as well as the prayers and thoughts from around the world and in Germany," they said.

"We especially want to thank the wonderful caregivers and everyone at Maui Memorial Medical Center."

The last time someone in Hawaii died from a shark attack was in 2004, when a tiger shark bit Willis McInnis in the leg while he was surfing 100 yards (meters) off Maui.

McInnis suffered severe blood loss and died on the shore despite rescue efforts by beachgoers, police and paramedics. The last fatal attack before that was in 1992.

Hawaii officials announced Tuesday they plan to spend the next two years studying tiger shark movements around Maui amid what they call an unprecedented spike in overall shark attacks since the start of 2012

There have been eight attacks statewide this year and 10 in 2012. Hawaii usually sees only three to four attacks each year.

Additional reporting by Associated Press.