Missing for days
Crocodile cruelly killed 12-year-old while swimming
The search for a missing child in northern Australia went on for days. Now it is a sad certainty: as feared, the twelve-year-old was the victim of a terrible crocodile attack. The discovery was "extremely cruel, sad and devastating", according to the police.
The girl was on vacation with her family in the area near the Aboriginal community of Nganmarriyanga - about 360 kilometers southwest of Darwin. Together with several family members, she was swimming in Mango Creek when she suddenly disappeared. A crocodile is said to have been spotted in the immediate vicinity. Since then, an extensive search operation has been underway for the missing woman.
In the waters where the girl was last seen on Tuesday, emergency services finally discovered human remains, as police spokeswoman Erica Gibson confirmed. "The recovery has been made," she told Australian broadcaster ABC.
T-shirt found in river hours earlier
According to Gibson, the remains found indicate a crocodile attack. "It was an extremely difficult 36 hours for the rescuers involved in the search," she said. The family was "in a state of extreme shock and disbelief". The tragedy was a stark reminder that there could always be crocodiles in the waters of the Northern Territory.
Officials had found the girl's T-shirt hours earlier. The garment had been discovered upstream from where the child was last seen. The emergency services were deployed with boats and a helicopter. However, Police Minister Brent Potter had already stated on Wednesday that there was probably no hope of finding the girl alive.
Deadly crocodile attacks happen again and again
According to government figures, there are more than 100,000 saltwater crocodiles in the Northern Territory - more than in any other state in Australia. The animals, which can be up to six meters long and are also known as "salties", are considered extremely aggressive. There are also freshwater crocodiles ("freshies") in the area, but they are less dangerous.
On average, there are two fatal crocodile attacks per year throughout the country. It was only in June that members of an Aboriginal community in the region shot and collectively ate a "problem crocodile" that had previously repeatedly approached animals and people.
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