Human remains found in crocodile
A man is fishing in a river in the Australian state of Queensland. Suddenly, he falls into the water and doesn't resurface. Not far from the scene, rangers have now killed a nearly five-meter-long crocodile. This likely marks a tragic end to the missing person case.
A few days after a 40-year-old fisherman went missing in northeastern Australia, human remains were found in a crocodile that was killed in the area. However, police in Queensland state said they have not yet confirmed that the remains belong to the man who was allegedly attacked by a crocodile on Saturday. It is considered very likely, though, and investigations to identify the remains are ongoing. The search for the man has been suspended.
Rangers had previously killed a crocodile that was spotted from a helicopter about four kilometers from the scene. The crocodile was identified by a distinctive white scar on its snout. The carcass of the nearly five-meter-long, likely several decades old reptile was then handed over to the police.
The alleged attack occurred on Saturday in the north of the tropical state of Queensland on the popular fishing river, Annan. Initial investigations suggest that the man was fishing from the riverbank and then fell into the water and did not resurface, as stated in a police report.
On average, there are two fatal crocodile attacks per year in Australia. Just last July, a 12-year-old girl was killed in a crocodile attack in the country. Rangers later killed a 4.2-meter-long reptile in the Northern Territory. The girl was swimming near an Aboriginal community before she disappeared. Later, remains of the girl were discovered.
The authorities are currently working with the European Union's Rapid Alert System for Non-food dangerous products to ensure that all information about the incident is shared across borders, given the international interest in the case. The European Union has expressed its concern over the rising number of fatal crocodile attacks in Australian tourist destinations.
