Crocodile attack: 14-year-old flown to Cairns hospital after surviving ‘death roll’ in Far North Queensland

A teenage boy has been flown to Cairns Hospital after surviving a crocodile attack while fishing at a Far North Queensland beach.

Emergency services were called to Myall Beach at Cape Tribulation about 3.50pm Saturday, following reports a 14-year-old boy had been bitten by a crocodile.

“A male teenager with leg and abdominal wounds was airlifted to Cairns Hospital in a stable condition following a reported crocodile attack on a public beach”, a Queensland Ambulance spokesperson said.

The teenager, believed to be visiting the area with two other friends, was fishing in waist-deep water when the suspected crocodile attack occurred, according to the Cairns Post.

Witnesses told the outlet the crocodile was seen in a “death roll” with the boy, but a friend sprang into action and grabbed the predator’s tail, causing it to release the 14-year-old.

Bystanders helped the victim from the water and back to PK’s Jungle Village, where staff and paramedics provided emergency care before he was airlifted to Cairns Hospital. He arrived at the hospital about 6.30pm.

A Cairns Hospital spokesperson confirmed on Monday the boy remained in a stable condition.

The crocodile breeding season, which begins in October, makes sightings more frequent as males roam in search of a mate, according to the Queensland Government website.

The website notes: “To capture prey, estuarine crocodiles wait in ambush at the water’s edge and then lunge or snap sideways at animals which come to feed or drink. If the crocodile cannot swallow an animal whole, the crocodile either drags it under the water and twists it in a ‘death-roll’ until it dies, or the crocodile will shake its head in an attempt to break off pieces of the animal to eat.”

“During the breeding season, male crocodiles become very mobile as they look for a mate, so sightings are more prevalent.”