Boy, 9, fighting for life after horror crocodile attack while out swimming

15 January 2024 , 14:16

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The boy had been swimming in a restricted part of the Kakadu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory (file image) (Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

A nine-year-old boy is fighting for his life after a horror crocodile attack in Australia.

The youngster had been swimming in a restricted area of the Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory when the creature attacked him, leaving him with serious injuries. He was rushed to the Jabiru Community Health Centre by air ambulance, where he was treated by specialist doctors and flight nurses.

Crews flew him to the Royal Darwin Hospital in a critical but stable condition at around 9pm. St John Ambulance gave a brief on the boy, saying he had suffered a "number of puncture wounds".

“The incident occurred in an area within Kakadu National Park that is not accessible to the general public,” a spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au. Another report added that he was bitten near Jabiru, the national park's main township.

According to Parks Australia, the area is home to around 10,000 crocodiles - 10 per cent of the total Northern Territory crocodile population. Northern Territory's health department is seeking family consent so it can provide an update on the young lad's condition.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Earlier in January, a British safari guide spent a night holding tight to his truck after he mistakenly took a wrong turn and ended up in a crocodile-infested river. Mike Turner, 56, had collected an open-topped 'game viewer' 4x4 jeep and was using Google Maps to direct him to a guest house. But he was taken across a bridge which was flooded after heavy rainfall. In total darkness, the adventurer - who has lived in Mozambique since 2011 - was able to turn the £7000 vehicle against the raging current. Then he positioned himself on the raised benches and yelled for help.

However, it took fifteen hours before he was rescued by helicopter from the waters, at the point where the Komati and Crocodile Rivers meet close by to Kruger National Park in South Africa. Last Friday video footage showed the trained diver being hauled out of the water in shock, and examined by medics.

Mr Turner told The Daily Mail: "It was absolutely terrifying. It's a miracle that I survived the night. Crocodiles are definitely a serious threat on that stretch of river.

"The police told me afterwards that two people had been swept away at the same spot earlier that day, and when they found their bodies they'd been half eaten by crocs. I didn't have any kind of weapon with me. I was thinking 'If a croc tries to get me, it's going to get a boot in the teeth!"

Ryan Fahey