A 2-year-old boy from Nebraska has been attacked and dragged into the water by an alligator at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
The boy was with his family near the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon in Orlando, Florida when he was dragged away by an alligator late on Tuesday.
His father entered the water but failed to release the boy from the alligator’s jaws.
According to WFTV reports, more than 50 deputies are currently searching for the child.
“This is still a search-and-rescue operation,” Jeff Williamson, a spokesman at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, told reporters. “We are hoping for the best. Sometimes you get the worst, but we’re certainly hoping for the best.”
Four alligators have so far been taken from the lake and killed for examination, but no evidence of the boy has been found, police said.
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Tragic week
It has been a tragic week for the Orlando area. A gunman massacred 49 people early Sunday at an Orlando gay club in the deadliest mass shooting in US history.
A day before the rampage, a man shot singer Christina Grimmie as she was signing autographs following a concert.