Body found during search for child missing in crocodile attack

Australian police have discovered human remains while searching for a 12-year-old boy they believe was the victim of a crocodile attack.

The child was last seen on Tuesday 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 Senior Sergeant Erica Gibson, adding that police would provide support to all those affected.

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

As many as 40 community members helped police in their search for the child, which began shortly after the 12-year-old was reported missing.

They scoured the area on foot, by boat and using helicopters, covering difficult terrain with thick vegetation and a narrow, winding waterway.

No details were given on whether the crocodile suspected of attacking the child had been found.

Earlier on Wednesday, NT Police Minister Brent Potter said wildlife officers had been authorised to “remove” the crocodile from the area once it was located and reiterated the government's safety message.

“We live in a place where crocodiles occupy our waterholes… it’s just a reminder to stay out of the water as much as we can.”

Found all around Australia's northern reaches – from Broome in Western Australia to Gladstone in Queensland – saltwater crocodiles were once hunted to near extinction, but their numbers have rebounded since the practice was banned in the 1970s.

The Northern Territory is now home to about 100,000 saltwater crocodiles, more than anywhere else in the world. Attacks are rare, however.

There have been at least two other crocodile attacks in the Northern Territory in the past year – a nine-year-old boy was injured in January while swimming in Kakadu National Park, and a farmer escaped the jaws of a beast by biting it in October – but there has not been a fatal attack there since 2018.

Queensland, however, has seen a series of deadly attacks in recent years, including that of a 16-year-old boy killed in the Torres Strait in April.