Urgent search for missing 12-year-old boy believed to have been attacked by crocodile in Northern Territory

Australian police have launched an urgent search for a missing 12-year-old boy who was believed to have been abducted by a crocodile in the country’s Northern Territory.

The child was last seen swimming in a stream near the remote town of Palumpa, about 7 hours southwest of Darwin, on Tuesday evening.

Officials said a special search and rescue operation was launched after “initial reports suggested the child had been attacked by a crocodile.”

In Palumpa, where about 350 people live, citizens began searching for the teenager after he disappeared in Mango Creek at around 5.30pm local time (8am GMT).

“Local officials are on site and our thoughts are with the family and community,” Sergeant Erica Gibson said in a statement.

“Officers are currently searching a large section of the creek by boat and we thank the community for their continued support.”

There are more than 100,000 crocodiles in the vast Northern Territory, which can grow up to 6 metres long. However, fatal attacks are relatively rare.

The population of saltwater crocodiles was decimated by hunting, but has recovered since the practice was banned in the 1970s.

Two other crocodile attacks had previously been reported in the vast Northern Territory, known for its desert-like outback.

A farmer survived an attack by a saltwater crocodile near the state’s Finniss River in November by biting the animal’s eyelid to ward off the attack.

In January, a nine-year-old boy was injured in a crocodile attack while swimming in Kakadu National Park.

However, there have been no fatal attacks in the Northern Territory since 2018, local media reports.