A child is missing after reportedly being dragged into the water by an alligator near a Walt Disney World Resort hotel in Florida.
The two-year-old was dragged into the Seven Seas Lagoon near the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando, according to Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
As of 11pm local time, the child had still not been found, ITV News reported. Police launched a major search operation for the child.
A helicopter was beaming a light at the water as part of efforts to find the child, Orlando Sentinel journalist Christal Hayes said.
Some witnesses said they saw the toddler along the beach near the water, but no eye-witnesses to him being dragged into the water by an alligator were available for comment.
The boy’s father desperately tried to wrestle his son from the mouth of the alligator but was unsuccessful, police said.
The missing boy’s family were on holiday from Nebraska. A spokesperson for Walt Disney said everyone at the resort was “devastated by this tragic accident.”
“We are helping the family and doing everything we can to assist law enforcement.”