Horror at Disney World as boy, two, is dragged into a lagoon by an ALLIGATOR at resort
A two-year-old boy is missing after he was dragged into a lagoon by an alligator at the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando - despite his father's frantic attempts to wrestle his son from the reptile's jaws.
The boy was dragged into the Seven Seas Lagoon outside the upscale Grand Floridian Resort & Spa around 9:20pm on Tuesday as he paddled in a foot of water with his parents and four-year-old sister - despite ‘no swimming’ signs posted nearby. However, the signs do not warn of alligators in the water.
Sheriffs say there is little hope of finding the boy alive after his father’s unsuccessful struggle with the four- to seven-foot reptile, which also left him with lacerations to his arm.
However, the search for the boy continued Wednesday morning, with about 50 emergency personnel searching the man-made lake by boat and helicopter - aided by sonar technology, dive teams and alligator trappers.
Walt Disney World resort officials closed all of the beaches at their resorts on Wednesday, as a spokesman said they are working with law enforcement to aid in the search.
Alligators are a relatively common sight at the resort but are removed and relocated when they reach four feet and get too close to guest areas. In addition to the Grand Floridian, Disney's Polynesian Village resort is also located on the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon. The lagoon itself is connected to the larger Bay Lake - home to Disney's Contemporary Resort and Wilderness Lodge hotels - by a narrow strait.
Wildlife officers on Wednesday morning confirmed that they had already captured and killed four alligators in the lagoon while searching for the child, but none of them were the one that grabbed the boy.
It is not known if the child or his family are guests at the Grand Floridian. With standard rooms starting at $569 a night, the Victorian-style resort is one of the most expensive hotels at Disney World.
During a news conference today, Nick Wiley from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation said that the organization works closely with Disney to remove all nuisance alligators.
He added that they had already taken four alligators while searching for the boy, which were analyzed for evidence and then killed.
Wiley also explained he was certain that they would find the boy, but added that it may take some time.
Meanwhile Jeff Williamson, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department said they were determined to find the boy in order to bring comfort to his family.
He said they were doing everything possible to find the child and that they still regarded the effort as a 'search and rescue' operation.
More sheriff's deputies were brought in Wednesday morning to bring 'new eyes' to the search, on the ground and in the air. Alligator trappers and divers were also called in to help.
Earlier, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the toddler, who was part of a family of five, arrived in Orlando on vacation from Nebraska on Sunday.
He told a news conference last night that the parents and their three children had been on the beach at the time of the attack.
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