Two-year-old boy dragged into lagoon by an alligator near Disney World resort in Florida

Search: Rescuers scour the water in their hunt to find the boy
EPA
Sebastian Mann15 June 2016

A two-year-old boy has been dragged into a lake by an alligator near the flagship Disney World resort in Florida.

The child’s parents apparently wrestled with the reptile, said to be up to seven feet long, after it snatched the boy at about 9.20pm last night.

Rescue teams were today frantically searching for the boy at the Seven Seas Lagoon near the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the parents and their three children had been relaxing on the beach when the alligator attacked.

The boy was pulled into the water at around 9.20pm last night
EPA

He said: “The father entered the water and tried to grab the child but he was not successful in doing so. I'm told that at some point, the mother also entered the water.”

The family had been attending a “movie night” on the beach and the child was playing by the water with his mother when he was snatched.

He added lifeguards were alerted but failed to get to the boy in time.

“As a father, as a grandfather, we are going to hope for the best in these circumstances but based on my 35 years of experience, we know that we have some challenges ahead,” he said.

A Disney spokeswoman told reporters at the conference: “Everyone here at Walt Disney World is devastated by this tragic accident.

“Our thoughts are with the family. We are doing everything we can to help law enforcement.”

Photographs from the scene showed a large emergency services presence, including officials from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Reedy Creek Fire Rescue.

Local records show there have been 41 unprovoked alligator attacks in Florida since 2010.

In 2015 two people died in the state because of the animals, which are common in the area.

The tragedy comes after Orlando was the scene of the United States' deadliest ever gun massacre when shooter Omar Mateen killed 49 people during a rampage at the Pulse nighclub.

Last Friday the city also made the news after Voice star Christina Grimmie was shot dead as she signed autographs on Friday.

This page is being updated.

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