Authorities reported Thursday that the remains of a missing 12-year-old Australian girl, believed to have been the victim of a crocodile attack, were discovered.
According to a police official, the discovery of the girl’s T-shirt was made on Wednesday at around 6:15 p.m. local time in an upstream location. Her remains were found the following morning in a waterway located in the Northern Territory.
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During an interview in Palumpa, Senior Sgt. Erica Gibson of the NT Police expressed her sorrow and dismay at the particularly gruesome outcome of the incident. She described it as devastating, highlighting the severity of the situation.
The Northern Territory of Australia is not known for frequent attacks, but a recent incident has been reported. A young girl, who remains unnamed, was last spotted on Tuesday while swimming with her family members at Mango Creek in Palumpa. This region is home to an estimated 100,000 saltwater crocodiles, making it the area with the highest concentration of these creatures on the planet. The incident occurred during a bush holiday near the remote Aboriginal town of Nganmarriyanga, which is located in one of the northernmost parts of Australia and requires a seven-hour drive southwest of Darwin.
According to Gibson, the injuries sustained by the young girl were in line with a crocodile attack. She acknowledged that it was a challenging 36 hours for the first responders who participated in the search. Additionally, she expressed sympathy for the grieving family who are understandably in a state of shock and disbelief.
Australian authorities were informed of the disappearance of the girl on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. local time.
Witnesses reported spotting a black crocodile in the area, though there is no additional information regarding the identification or location of the suspected reptile.
According to reports, around 40 individuals joined forces with 10 police officers in an extensive search along the Mango Creek river banks. The search was conducted by foot, boat, and even aerial means, as the river is narrow yet long and winding.
According to reports, this is the first fatal attack in the NT since 2018.
Over the last year, the Northern Territory has reported at least two crocodile attacks, despite Queensland being the state typically associated with deadly crocodile encounters.
According to a top crocodile researcher in Australia, a productive course of action for the territorial government would be to provide financial support to Indigenous groups residing in rural areas, similar to the one where the young girl was purportedly attacked by the crocodile in question.
The chief minister of the territory has acknowledged that there is still room for improvement when it comes to crocodile safety. She revealed that the Northern Territory’s budget has allocated $500,000 towards crocodile management efforts in order to address the issue.
Chief Minister Eva Lawler has expressed her concerns regarding the population of crocodiles in the Northern Territory and emphasized the need to control their numbers. According to her, it is imperative that humans outnumber crocodiles, and therefore effective measures must be taken to keep their population in check.
