14-Year-Old Boy Mauled by Crocodile While Fishing in Waist-Deep Water Sustains Torso and Leg Injuries

A 14-year-old boy is recovering in the hospital after being attacked by a crocodile at Myall Beach in Queensland, Australia.

The incident occurred around 3:50 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, according to reports from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Sky News Australia, and The Guardian. Officials from the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) said the teen had been fishing in thigh-high water when the crocodile struck.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson said the boy sustained injuries to his torso and leg. He was initially taken to nearby PK’s Jungle Village, where nurses and locals provided first aid, manager Harry Hartley told reporters.

“People came out of the rainforest to help,” Hartley said. “The Cape community came together.”

The teen was later airlifted to Cairns Hospital and is now in stable condition, according to a spokesperson for the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.

Witnesses said the boy had been fishing with two others in waist-deep water at the time of the attack. Staff at PK’s Jungle Village confirmed that locals carried the injured teen from the beach to their property, where he and a 14-year-old friend were treated until paramedics arrived.

“All the staff did an amazing job looking after him,” a spokesperson said. “The young boy was very lucky that it happened on the beach and so close to PK’s beachfront property. There’s a boardwalk that links the beach directly to PK’s, so there wasn’t far to go.”

Following the attack, officers from DETSI began searching for crocodiles in the area but reported no sightings. A department spokesperson confirmed that the teen’s injuries were “consistent with a crocodile attack.”

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service continues to investigate the incident.

Four crocodile sightings have been recorded in the Cape Tribulation area so far this month, including one reported on Wednesday that remains under investigation.

“Our thoughts are with the young person who has been impacted,” Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Natassia Wheeler told The Guardian.