Remains of croc attack victim found

Posted Sat Apr 11, 2009 1:16pm AEST
Updated Sat Apr 11, 2009 1:30pm AEST

Daly River policeman Dean Lynch says the river is 'prolific with large crocodiles'. (ABC TV News - file image)

Northern Territory police have found the remains of the man who was attacked and killed by a crocodile yesterday near the Daly River community, 150 kilometres south of Darwin.

Early yesterday morning the 20-year-old man and a friend had been drinking, when they tried to swim across the crocodile-infested waterway near the Daly River community.

A crocodile was seen near the pair when the man disappeared.

Police set up an exclusion zone on the river as part of their search to find him.

This morning that search came to an end when rangers found his remains 80 metres downstream.

A 4.3-metre crocodile is believed to have killed the man and has been destroyed.

Duty Superintendent Jamie Chalker says the missing man was one of two who swam across the river to go and get some alcohol.

"It's apparent that family members have seen the head of a crocodile making its way towards the man who's now missing, plus the other person he was crossing the river with," he said.

"As we now know, one made it and one didn't."

Daly River policeman Dean Lynch says Parks and Wildlife shot one crocodile overnight, but he could not yet confirm whether there is any sign that it is the croc responsible for the attack.

"The Daly is prolific with large crocodiles," he said.

"I don't have the information about how many attacks there have been but there has been a few over the years. The Daly is well known for large crocodiles."

Victim 'was warned'

The river has now reopened to the public, but police are reminding people to be extremely cautious when choosing where to swim in the Top End.

Police say locals and campers saw the attack happen and it has traumatised the small community.

Superintendent Dean Moloney says the man had been warned by police previously to stay out of the water.

"Out of respect to the family I do not want to go into any details about the trauma that was caused," he said.

"Police would just like to remind people to think twice and take extreme caution when choosing to swim in any of the NT Top End's waterways.

"The people involved in this incident were warned not to do it and unfortunately they did not heed the advice."

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