Authorities in Australia are searching for a 12-year-old girl. She went missing after a crocodile allegedly attacked her. At the time of the incident, she was swimming in a creek, according to ABC News and NT News. Australia is also known for housing a host of dangerous creatures. So it's not surprising that it also has more wild crocodiles than anywhere else in the world. Australia's Northern Territory has more than 100,000 reptiles giving Florida a run for its money (which is home to plenty of gators).
Police are currently searching for the girl, but they're hampered by the remote nature of the area. The community has just 400 residents and is located 220 miles southwest of Darwin. Given the small nature of the town, nearby officers from Wadeye are assisting in the investigation. They also called in a specialist rescue team as well. They said that the family reported the girl missing after she went swimming at Mango Creek.
"Northern Territory Police are currently searching for a missing child near the remote community of Palumpa," Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services wrote on Facebook on Wednesday, July 3. "Around 5:30 p.m. last night, police received reports of a missing 12-year-old child who was last seen swimming at Mango Creek," it added.
Crocodile Attacks Girl
So what exactly happened? Well, reports say that a crocodile attacked the girl. The exact details are murky right now. The police wrote, "Initial reports stated the child had been attacked by a crocodile. Community members and Peppimenarti Police attended the scene and began searching for the child, who has yet to be located."
"Local officers are on scene and our thoughts are with the family and the community," Senior Sergeant Erica Gibson said in a statement per NBC News. "Officers are currently searching a large section of the creek via boat, and we thank the community for their ongoing assistance." Sadly, police believe that the crocodile killed the girl
According to the BBC, Northern Territory Police Minister Brent Potter said authorities have entered a "recovery phase." That means they're looking for remains. "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 said.
Authorities have turned off comments on the initial post, saying, "To maintain a respectful environment, comments have been temporarily disabled. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding."
