Alligator Attacks Toddler At Disney Hotel
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. — An alligator snatched a 2-year-old boy Tuesday night, June 14, in a lagoon at a Disney hotel near Orlando as his father desperately tried to save him.
A frantic overnight search to find the boy was unsuccessful, authorities said, but efforts are continuing Wednesday morning.
“This is still a search and rescue operation,” said Jeff Williamson, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. “We are very hopeful. We are hoping for the best.”
The child was on the edge of the lagoon when the alligator dragged him into the water, according to the boy’s family, said Florida Fish & Wildlife executive director Nick Wiley. He cautioned that the investigation is still in an early stage and that officials need to interview at least two other families who may have witnessed the incident.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the child was “wading … along the lake’s edge at the time that the alligator attacked.”
Williamson said the boy was in less than a foot of water.
Authorities do not plan to stop the search until the boy is found or recovered.
Helicopters, sonar, marine units and an alligator trapper are being used in the rescue effort. Divers are on standby.
“We’re not leaving until we recover the child,” Demings said.
At least ten emergency vehicles were on the scene, and the beach was cordoned off.
Source: CNN
