DAINTREE NATIONAL PARK, AUSTRALIA — A 46-year-old Australian woman is missing and feared dead after she was taken by a crocodile while swimming with a friend in northern Queensland on Sunday.
The woman was walking on the beach with a 47-year-old friend in Daintree National Park, north of Cairns, around 10:30 p.m., when the two decided to go for a swim in the waist-high water, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
While wading in the water, they felt a nudge, and the 46-year-old was dragged into the water by the crocodile. Her friend tried to drag her to safety but failed.
The friend was taken to Mossman Hospital, where she was treated for shock and a graze on her arm.
A helicopter with thermal imaging equipment could not find the victim that night. A full-scale search and rescue operation was launched Monday morning.
Neil Noble from the Queensland Ambulance Service told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that a five-meter crocodile had been sighted in the area in recent days.
“The whole of Cairns and up into the Cape is known for its large crocodiles,” he said.
“Certainly one has to be very careful around our waterways. Stay well away from the water when you can, especially when you can't see.”
The area is a known crocodile habitat, local residents told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Warren Entsch, MP for northern Queensland, blamed the attack on “human stupidity” and warned that it should not provoke a “vendetta” against crocodiles in the area.
“You can only get there by ferry, and there are signs there saying watch out for the bloody crocodiles,” Ensch told the Australian Associated Press.
“If you go in swimming at 10 o’clock at night, you’re going to get consumed.”
