There is “no question” a boy seized by an alligator near Walt Disney World Orlando is dead, Florida police said Wednesday.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said that Walt Disney World was providing “amazing” support as they searched for the body of the 2-year-old boy.
Experienced alligator trappers, sheriff’s department divers and sonar equipment were being used to search a network of man-made canals, ponds and lakes where the gator might have taken the boy.
The sheriff said that after 15 hours of searching, the attack was “certainly not survivable at this point.”
Demings said Disney has never had anything like this happen in 45 years of operations. He said the theme parks’ wildlife management system works diligently to keep guests safe from dangerous Florida creatures, removing or killing any alligators they find.
Disney is closing all beach areas in its resorts after the incident. The company announced that it’s closing the beaches in “an abundance of caution.”
Officials said the little boy was wading at the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon around nightfall Tuesday when an alligator estimated to be between 4 feet and 7 feet long dragged him under.
Meanwhile, the Nebraska governor said his heart goes out to the family of the boy.
The Nebraska family’s name has not been released, and Gov. Pete Ricketts’ office said in a statement that all they know was what they have seen in media reports.

Source: Arab News