Girl, 12, was holidaying with family when she was reportedly attacked by a crocodile in Palumpa, NT
A 12-year-old girl was on holiday with her family when she is believed to have been attacked by a crocodile while swimming in a creek in the NT.
The child was last seen swimming at Mango Creek, near the remote community of Palumpa, about 5.30pm on Tuesday.
Initial reports said the child had been attacked by a crocodile.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.A large-scale search was conducted in the river via boat on Wednesday morning however it quickly turned into a recovery mission.
Senior Sergeant Erica Gibson said the child and their family were swimming at Mango Creek as part of a bush holiday.
She told ABC Radio Darwin a sighting of a black crocodile in the area had been reported.
“They had attended the area, as they do for their holidays on homelands,” Gibson said on Wednesday.
“The children and other people from the family group were swimming and it was reported the child was missing.
“It is just a really sad, tragic event ... it is confronting for everyone.”
Gibson said a group of locals and a handful of police officers were assisting in the search.
A helicopter was also used to conduct a search from the air.
“The depths vary, it’s deep and dark in places,” she said.
“It’s surrounded by thick, dense pandanus, so the search is being conducted quite slowly ... to check the area thoroughly.
She said authorities would not stop searching.
“We are not only searching for crocodiles in the area, we are searching for a missing child.”
Police Minister Brent Potter previously said the Search and Rescue team had been authorised to “remove the crocodile from the area”.
Palumpa is located in the Daly River region and has a history of crocodile-related incidents.
In 2017, a 54-year-old man was attacked by a 2m crocodile, suffering bites to his chest and arm.
In 2013, a 4.5m crocodile that had been causing problems within the community was shot dead.
The saltwater croc had reportedly been preventing children from going to school by blocking a local causeway.
