Police in Australia have launched an urgent search for a missing 12-year-old girl feared to have been taken by a crocodile in the country’s Northern Territory.
The child was last seen around dusk on Tuesday swimming in a creek near the remote town of Palumpa, which is about 7-hours south west of Darwin.
Officers said a specialist search and rescue operation has been launched after “initial reports stated the child had been attacked by a crocodile".
Members of the public in Palumpa, which is home to around 350 people, began searching for the youngster after they vanished in Mango Creek around 5.30pm local time (8am GMT).
“Local officers are on scene and our thoughts are with the family and the community," senior sergeant Erica Gibson said in a statement.
“Officers are currently searching a large section of the creek via boat and we thank the community for their ongoing assistance."
There are more than 100,000 crocodiles - which can grow up to 6 metres (20 ft) long - in the vast Northern Territory, though fatal attacks are relatively rare.
The saltwater crocodiles’ numbers were depleted by hunting, but have since bounced back since the practice was banned in the 1970s.
It comes after two other crocodile attacks were reported in the vast Northern Territory, which is known for its desert-like outback.
A farmer survived a saltwater crocodile attack in November near the state’s Finniss River by biting it back in the eyelid to repel the attack.
In January, a nine-year-old boy was injured in a crocodile attack while swimming in Kakadu National Park.
However, there has not been a fatal attack in the Northern Territory since 2018, local media report.
