Alligator attack: Two-year-old boy dragged away by enormous reptile in Florida; believed dead

A colossal search is currently under way for the missing child.

New Delhi: The world is witnessing a barrage of incidents involving animals since the past few weeks. The latest to do the rounds are reports of a two-year-old boy being dragged away by an alligator near a resort in Florida.

The boy in question was said to be on a holiday with his parents and two siblings from Nebraska, at the Disney World resort in Orlando, Florida. A colossal search was also carried out for the missing child.

Four alligators were captured and killed overnight by wildlife authorities to affirm their involvement in the attack, however, no traces of the boy were found.

As per reports, the alligator attacked the child at a sandy beach on a man-made lake, where the child was last seen playing by the edge of the water, shortly after 9 pm ET.

Minor lacerations on the father's arms are testimony to the fact that he struggled to save his son from the clutches of the alligator, but in vain. The alligator reportedly swam away with the child.

Witnesses related their accounts to the authorities, based on which, the search was progressing.

The search team included marine units on boats, an alligator trapper, search helicopters and a dive team on standby.

Sheriff’s spokesman Jeff Williamson told The Guardian that, “We determined that this child was playing at the edge of the water, probably about a foot or so into the water, when this alligator came up and attacked the child.”

“The father did his best, tried to rescue the child, however to no avail. A struggle did ensue and the father has some sort of minor lacerations to his arm, so he was able to get over there fairly quickly.”

“You know how a father who witnesses this must have felt. It is tragic, it is heartbreaking, there’s no other way to say it. We’re just going to keep searching and searching and searching.”

Williamson also observed the absence of signs alerting guests to the possibility of the presence of alligators. “The sign says no swimming. There’s no other sign,” he said.

15 hours into the search, the boy is still missing, compelling authorities to conclude that the child is no more. A team is now on the lookout for the two-year-old's body.

The size of the alligator, according to a few witness accounts, was estimated to be between 4-7 feet.