The body of a 16-year-old boy who was missing in Torres Strait waters has been found after he was attacked by a crocodile while trying to swim to shore.
Queensland Police confirmed the teen’s body was found at Saibai Island, about 900km north of Cairns, on Thursday afternoon.
While formal identification is under way, it’s believed the body is of the 16-year-old who was reported missing after the boy and another teen, aged 13, tried to swim to Saibai Island after their dinghy broke down at about 4am on Thursday.
It’s understood the two boys are cousins.
On Friday, police confirmed the boy’s injuries were consistent with a crocodile attack.
The crocodile involved is estimated to be around 3.5 metres in length.
Further testing is underway to confirm the cause of death.
The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) is assisting with the investigation.
DESI confirmed the local community has requested the crocodile involved in the incident be removed from the wild.
“Wildlife officers will survey the waters off Saibai Island by helicopter this afternoon in an attempt to locate the crocodile involved,” DESI stated.
After the 13-year-old boy reported his crewmate missing, Thursday Island Water Police launched a search and rescue with support from general duties crews.
After a wide-scale search was launched on Thursday, Inspector Anthony Moynihan told media the boys had run into engine trouble before swimming back to the island.
“About 4am, two teens went out from Saibai Island in a dinghy,” he said.
“The dinghy then stopped due to engine problems.
“They made the decision to jump into the water and swim 500m back to the island where one made it back to shore.”
Saibai Island is one of the outermost islands on the Torres Strait and is 4km south of Papua New Guinea.
More to come