Toddler's body found after Disney alligator attack

Divers have recovered the body of a two-year-old boy who was dragged into a lake at a Disney World resort in Florida.

Lane Graves was attacked by an alligator at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa on Tuesday. He was watching fireworks with his parents and four-year-old sister at the time.

His body was recovered intact about 15 yards from the shore of the artificial lake, says the Orlando Sentinel.

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His father, Matt, fought to free his son from the animal, receiving scratches to his arms, while his mother, Melissa, called for help. She also entered the water as Lane was taken by the alligator, which was said to be between four and seven feet in length.

Divers eventually found him after a 16-hour search using sonar.

A spokesman for the Orange County sheriff's office told The Guardian: "He was about a foot in, maybe ankle-deep or a little higher. There's no indication he was [swimming] but he was at the edge of the water and this freakish incident takes place in which a gator comes along and latches on to this poor child.

"The father was very close by. He heard what sounded like a splash, he turned, he thought the splash was something innocent, but of course there was nothing innocent.

"He saw his child in the mouth of the gator. He ran to get the child out of the gator’s mouth and wrestled with the gator but was not successful. The gator was able to get the child away from the father and disappear into the water," he added.

The Sentinel says the attack is the first by an alligator on the park's property since 1986, when an eight-year-old boy's legs were bitten at the Fort Wilderness camp site.

Five alligators were found and killed during the search, but the animal which attacked Lane has yet to be identified. Officials will compare teeth marks on the body to try to find the "culprit", says the Sentinel.

The newspaper says the area on the shore where the family were relaxing has signs warning against swimming, but they do not warn of "lurking gators".

Witness Bill Wilson said he had been confused by the noise at first.

"I thought someone got in a fight," he said. "I looked over and here comes one of the lifeguards.

"The mother was there and she was frantic, running up and down looking," he added.

Walt Disney World Resort president George A Kalogridis said in a statement: "We are devastated and heartbroken by this tragic accident and are doing what we can to help the family during this difficult time."l

Toddler snatched by alligator at Disney resort

15 June

Officials have embarked on a desperate hunt for a two-year-old boy seized by an alligator while playing by a lagoon at a Disney World resort hotel.

The unnamed toddler was paddling with his father in the Seven Seas Lagoon in Orlando, Florida, when an alligator estimated to be between four and seven feet long emerged from the water and grabbed him.

Police say the boy's father tried to rescue his son from the jaws of the reptile, receiving minor injuries to his hands. His mother also rushed to help her husband grapple with the alligator, but they could not prevent it from carrying off the toddler.

The incident occurred at around 9.15pm (2.15pm BST) on Tuesday at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, on the west shore of Seven Seas Lagoon. Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Space Mountain ride are located minutes away on the north shore, while several Disney resorts are dotted around the rest of the lagoon.

The child is believed to be one of three siblings on a family holiday from Nebraska.

Wildlife and marine authorities, including an alligator trapper, are helping the search, although officials say they have a difficult task ahead of them.

"We are not leaving until we recover the child," Jerry Demings, from Orange County Sheriff's department, said.

"As a father, as a grandfather, we're going to hope for the best in these circumstances, but based upon my 35 years of law enforcement experience, we know that we have some challenges ahead of us."

Demings added that there were signs posted at the lagoon prohibiting swimming, USA Today reports, although a representative of the Fish and Wildlife Commission said he was unaware of any alligator sightings in the area.

A spokesperson for Walt Disney said the resort was "devastated by this tragic accident".