12-year-old girl "attacked" by a crocodile in Australia: police discover human remains
Steph Deschamps / July 6, 2024
Australian police said on Thursday that they had found the remains of a 12-year-old girl "attacked by a crocodile" while swimming near a remote community in northern Australia.
After searching the site, police said they had found remains they "believe to be those of a missing 12-year-old child". "This is devastating news for the family, the community and everyone involved in the search," added Major Erica Gibson of the Northern Territory Police.
The teenager had disappeared on Tuesday evening after swimming at Mango Creek, near Palumpa, a small Aboriginal community around seven hours' drive south-west of Darwin, the capital of Australia's Northern Territory.
"Initial reports indicated that the child had been attacked by a crocodile," according to a statement from the Northern Territory police.
Crocodile attacks are rare but not unheard of in this rural state in northern Australia. A 4.5-metre crocodile was shot dead after stalking residents near Palumpa in 2013. In 2017, a 54-year-old man was also the victim of a non-fatal attack in the same area.
In mid-June, a 3.60-meter-long saltwater crocodile that had been terrorizing an Aboriginal community in northern Australia by attacking residents and devouring dogs, was itself eaten at a traditional feast, after being shot dead by police.