Orlando, Florida - Walt Disney World resort in Florida closed its beaches on Wednesday as police hunted for signs of a 2-year-old boy who was dragged by an alligator into a lagoon despite an attempt by his father to rescue him, according to officials and CNN reports.
Wildlife officials captured and euthanized four alligators from the lagoon to examine them for traces of the child after attack on the Tuesday night but found no evidence they were involved, said Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
There are “no swimming” signs at the lagoon but the alligator grabbed the boy as he played at the edge of the water while his family relaxed nearby on the shore, sheriff's spokesman Jeff Williamson said at a news conference.
The boy's father rushed into the water after the alligator struck and struggled to wrestle his child from the alligator's grasp, Williamson said.
“The father did his best,” Williamson said. “He tried to rescue the child, however, to no avail.”
The family, which was vacationing from Nebraska, was not named.
Disney has closed its beaches “out of an abundance of caution,” CNN reported, citing a Disney spokesperson.
The father suffered minor cuts on his arm in the struggle, Williamson said. Authorities had earlier said the boy's mother also tried to rescue him.
A lifeguard who was on duty by the lagoon also was unable to reach the boy in time, he said. “The gator swam away with the child,” Williamson said.
Dozens of sheriff's deputies and wildlife officials were searching for the boy on Wednesday and expected to use sonar technology, helicopters and divers.
Sheriff Jerry Demings told reporters the reptile was thought to be between 4 and 7 feet (1.2 and 2 meters) long.
Alligators are not uncommon in the Seven Seas Lagoon, a man-made lake reaching 14 feet in depth, Wiley told reporters.
The wildlife commission works with the resort to remove “nuisance alligators” when they are reported, Wiley said.
Despite the prevalence of alligators in fresh water around Florida, he said it was very rare for humans to be attacked.
Williamson said searchers had been hindered overnight by the dark and by the lagoon's murky waters. “We're going to keep searching until we find something,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Walt Disney World Resort said everyone there was devastated by the tragic accident. “Our thoughts are with the family and we are helping the family,” she said.
The alligator incident comes as the Orlando area reels after a gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub there on Sunday.
On May 28, a 3-year-old boy fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, causing zookeepers to kill a gorilla to protect the child.
Reuters