12-year-old girl in Australia probably killed by crocodile
In the remote Northern Territory of Australia, search teams are intensely looking for a 12-year-old girl who was last seen swimming in a creek. The latest sighting was on a Tuesday afternoon, when the girl was seen swimming in Mango Creek, about 350 kilometers southwest of Darwin, according to Australian media reports citing the police.
The investigators suspect that the girl was attacked and killed by a crocodile. "Our thoughts are with the family and the community," said Police Sergeant Erica Gibson. Teams and locals are using boats to search a large section of the waterway near the Aborigine community of Nganmarriyanga, it was reported.
In the region, both saltwater and freshwater crocodiles live. Saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to six meters long, are considered much more dangerous and extremely aggressive. Freshwater crocodiles, which are up to three meters long and called "Freshies," attack people only when they feel threatened. However, these attacks are usually not fatal.
The Northern Territory Government reports that there are over 100,000 crocodiles in the region. On average, there are two fatal crocodile attacks per year in all of Australia. In June, members of an Aborigine community in the Northern Territory shot and communally consumed a problematic crocodile that had previously approached both animals and humans.
Despite the ongoing search, international media outlets have expressed concern about the girl's safety. The heartbreaking incident has reminded children in Australia to always swim in designated areas and avoid wild creeks.
