NEED TO KNOW
- A 14-year-old boy was attacked by a crocodile in Queensland, Australia, on Saturday, Oct. 25, according to reports
- The teen sustained wounds to his torso and leg after being bitten by the animal
- The boy was airlifted to hospital and is in a stable condition
A 14-year-old boy is recovering in the hospital after being attacked by a crocodile in Australia.
On Saturday, Oct. 25, the teenager was mauled by the animal at around 3:50 p.m. at Myall Beach in Queensland, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) (ABC), Sky News Australia and U.K. newspaper The Guardian. The latter reported that the boy had been fishing in thigh-high water before the attack, citing a Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) spokesperson.
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson said the teen sustained injuries to his torso and leg, per the ABC.
Following the incident, the boy was taken to the nearby PKs Jungle Village accommodation, where nurses and locals carried out first aid, manager Harry Hartley told the outlet.
“People came out of the rainforest to help,” he said. “The Cape community came together.”
Myall Beach is located in the Daintree Rainforest in Daintree National Park.
Cassandra Hannagan/Getty
The teen was then airlifted to Cairns Hospital and is in a stable condition, a Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service spokesperson told Sky News Australia.
The boy was fishing in waist-deep with two other people when the incident happened, per Sky News Australia, citing local outlet The Cairns Post.
In an email to PEOPLE, PKs Jungle Village accommodation confirmed that onlookers and locals who witnessed the incident carried the boy from the beach to their property, where he was given first aid and care by staff.
“He was in our care until any paramedics could arrive,” the spokesperson said. “His 14-year-old friend was also taken care of that was in the water with him at the time of the incident.”
“All the staff did an amazing job in looking after him,” they continued. “PKs is the heart of Cape Tribulation and one of the first built in Cape Tribulation. Normally we are entertaining locals, tourists, families, adventurer travelers and caravans and camping. On this occasion [it] was a little different.”
“The young boy was very lucky that it happened on the beach and very close to PKs beachfront property. There is a boardwalk that links the beach directly to PKs so there wasn’t far to go.”
Officers from DETSI began searching for crocodiles following the incident, but found no sightings, per The Guardian.
A spokesperson from the department confirmed to the outlet that the teen’s wound were “consistent with a crocodile attack.”
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service are still investigating the incident, according to ABC.
Myall Beach in Queensland, Australia.
DoraDalton/Getty
PEOPLE has contacted the Queensland Ambulance Service, Cairns Hospital, PKs Jungle Village and Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation for comment.
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Four crocodiles have been seen in the Cape Tribulation so far this month, with one sighting on Wednesday being investigated.
“Our thoughts are with the young person who has been impacted,” the Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive, Natassia Wheeler, told The Guardian.
