Remains of 12-year-old girl found after crocodile attack

Police have found human remains while searching for a 12-year-old child who allegedly disappeared after a crocodile attack in Australia.

Northern Territory Police had previously confirmed that the child went missing at around 5.30pm local time on Tuesday 2 July after being last seen swimming in Mango Creek near the remote community of Palumpa, about 350 kilometres southwest of Darwin.

On Thursday, July 4, Australian authorities said they had found “remains believed to be those of a missing 12-year-old child near Palumpa,” according to a message on the Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services Facebook page.

“The child was reportedly attacked by a crocodile in Mango Creek on Tuesday, July 2, 2024. An extensive search operation has been launched to locate the child,” the press release continued.

“This is devastating news for the family, the community and everyone involved in the search,” said Sergeant Erica Gibson, according to the press release.

“Police are supporting the family and the community along with first responders who responded to the scene,” Gibson added.

“The rescue was done. It was particularly cruel and had a sad, devastating outcome,” the official also told reporters, according to the Associated Press.

According to the outlet, Gibson said the child’s injuries were consistent with a crocodile attack. Authorities searched for 36 hours for the missing girl, whose name has not yet been released, according to AP.

Gibson previously told ABC Radio Darwin that the family had been swimming in the creek as part of a bush holiday near the town of Wadeye. The remote site, formerly known as Port Keats, is home to one of Australia’s largest Indigenous communities and has a population of around 2,000 people.

“They visited the area as they do on holiday at home,” she said, according to ABC News Australia.

Gibson added that the Mango Creek waterway is “narrow but long and winding.”

“The depths vary, in places it is deep and dark,” Gibson said, according to the outlet. “It is surrounded by dense pandanus forest, so the search is being conducted quite slowly … to thoroughly investigate the area.”

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According to AP, authorities are still searching for the crocodile.

According to Australia’s Northern Territory website, the region is home to over 100,000 crocodiles – the largest population of wild crocodiles in the world.

Northern Territory police, fire and emergency services did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE.