Crocodile snatches boy, injures another in Australia

USPA News - A young boy went missing Sunday afternoon while swimming with a group of friends in a remote pond in northern Australia, emergency services said. It is believed the boy was taken by a crocodile that also bit and injured one of the other children.

The incident happened at approximately 2:15 p.m. local time on Sunday when a group of young boys was swimming in Mudginberri Billabong, an isolated pond in Kakadu National Park, approximately 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) west of Jabiru, a town in the northern part of Northern Territory. "It is believed the 12-year-old boy was taken by a crocodile as he and a number of other young boys were swimming in the billabong," said Acting Commander Michael White of Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services. "Police and Park Rangers are currently conducting searches by boat and land and will continue into the night." White said another boy, also aged 12, was bitten on the arm by the crocodile and was receiving medical treatment from St. John Ambulance paramedics. Details about the boy`s injuries or his condition were not immediately known, and it was not clear if he had been taken to hospital. In late August, a 26-year-old man was killed by a large saltwater crocodile while swimming in the Mary River near a camping ground in Australia`s Northern Territory. The man, who was celebrating a birthday party, was swimming in a river that is known for having the world`s largest population of saltwater crocodiles.