Current:Home > NewsAustralian officials search for 12-year-old missing after reported crocodile attack -DollarDynamic
Australian officials search for 12-year-old missing after reported crocodile attack
View
Date:2025-04-14 03:10:37
A search for a missing 12-year-old who witnesses say was attacked by a crocodile in a remote Australian community has entered a "recovery phase," according to the BBC.
The unidentified child was swimming in a creek in Nganmarriyanga, a small town in Australia's Northern Territory, at dusk, according to a social media post from the region's emergency services agency. The remote community is home to just over 360 people and is about a seven-hour drive from the city of Darwin, the BBC reported.
Initial reports said the child had been attacked by a crocodile, the agency said.
The Northern Territory's Police, Fire and Emergency Services said area police and community members immediately began searching for the child. A search and rescue team has also been deployed and is continuing to search the area. The emergency services agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CBS News.
On Wednesday morning, Northern Territory police minister Brent Potter told media, including the BBC, that the operation had entered a "recovery phase."
"It's a tragic incident for any parent or family member to lose a young child, and especially in the circumstances like that, taken by a crocodile," he told reporters.
Potter said that wildlife officers have been authorized to "remove" the crocodile if they find it.
Crocodile attacks are rare, according to the BBC, but the region is home to about 100,000 saltwater crocodiles, more than anywhere else in the world. In the region, there have been two attacks in the past year — one in January 2024 and one in October 2023 — but neither were fatal. The last fatal attack in the Northern Territory was in 2018, the BBC said. Potter said the incident serves as a reminder to stay safe while in a crocodile's habitat.
"We live in a place where crocodiles occupy our water places ... it's just a reminder to stay out of the water as best we can," Potter said.
- In:
- Australia
- Crocodile
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
TwitterveryGood! (5)
Related
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get This $360 Tote Bag for Just $79
- With one dose, new drug may cure sleeping sickness. Could it also wipe it out?
- From COVID to mpox to polio: Our 9 most-read 'viral' stories in 2022
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner Soak Up the Sun on Beach Vacation With Friends
- General Hospital Actress Jacklyn Zeman Dead at 70
- Destructive Flood Risk in U.S. West Could Triple if Climate Change Left Unchecked
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Experts are concerned Thanksgiving gatherings could accelerate a 'tripledemic'
Ranking
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- Flash Deal: Save $175 on a Margaritaville Bali Frozen Concoction Maker
- How a cup of coffee from a gym owner changed a homeless man's life
- Houston is under a boil water notice after the power went out at a purification plant
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Protesters Arrested for Blocking Railroad in Call for Oil-by-Rail Moratorium
- See pictures from Trump indictment that allegedly show boxes of classified documents in Mar-a-Lago bathroom, ballroom
- Judge’s Ruling to Halt Fracking Regs Could Pose a Broader Threat to Federal Oversight
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
Baltimore Sues 26 Fossil Fuels Companies Over Climate Change
Increased Asthma Attacks Tied to Exposure to Natural Gas Production
5 strategies to help you cope with a nagging feeling of dread
Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
Today’s Climate: August 28-29, 2010
Hillary Clinton’s Choice of Kaine as VP Tilts Ticket Toward Political Center
Chile Cancels Plan to Host UN Climate Summit Amid Civil Unrest at Home