Remains of missing Australian child found after suspected crocodile attack

Australian police said on Thursday they had found the remains of a presumed missing 12-year-old child who was allegedly attacked by a crocodile in the north of the country.

The child was reported missing on Tuesday evening after swimming in a creek near Palumpa, a remote town of about 350 people a seven-hour drive from Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory.

“This is devastating news for the family, the community and everyone involved in the search,” Northern Territory Police Sergeant Erica Gibson said in a statement.

There are more than 100,000 crocodiles in the Northern Territory, which is more than six times the size of Great Britain. However, fatal attacks are relatively rare. Crocodiles can grow up to 6 metres long.

The child and his family had visited the creek on holiday and it was reported that a black crocodile had been spotted in the immediate area, police told ABC Radio.

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