Body found during search for child missing after crocodile attack

Australian police have found human remains while searching for a 12-year-old boy who is believed to have been the victim of a crocodile attack.

The child was last seen on Tuesday while swimming with his family near the remote Aboriginal town of Nganmarriyanga – about a seven-hour drive southwest of Darwin in the Northern Territory (NT).

“This is devastating news for the family, the community and everyone involved in the search,” said Sergeant Erica Gibson, adding that police will provide support to all those affected.

Sergeant Gibson had previously told ABC News that a black crocodile had been spotted in the immediate area.

About 40 community members assisted police officers in the search for the child, which began shortly after the 12-year-old was reported missing.

They combed the area on foot, by boat and by helicopter, traversing challenging terrain with dense vegetation and a narrow, winding waterway.

No details have been released on whether the crocodile believed to have attacked the child has been found.

Earlier on Wednesday, Northern Territory Police Minister Brent Potter said rangers had been given the authority to “remove” the crocodile from the area once it was found, and reiterated the government’s safety message.

“We live in a place where crocodiles occupy our waterways… this is just a reminder to stay out of the water as much as possible.”

Saltwater crocodiles are found throughout the northern regions of Australia, from Broome in Western Australia to Gladstone in Queensland. They were hunted almost to extinction, but since the practice was banned in the 1970s, their numbers have recovered.

There are currently an estimated 100,000 saltwater crocodiles living in the Northern Territory, more than anywhere else in the world. However, attacks are rare.

There have been at least two other crocodile attacks in the Northern Territory in the past year: in January, a nine-year-old boy was injured while swimming in Kakadu National Park, and in October, a farmer escaped an animal’s mouth by biting it back. But there have been no fatal attacks there since 2018.

However, there have been a number of fatal attacks in Queensland in recent years. In April, a 16-year-old boy was killed in the Torres Strait.