A 16-year-old boy, on a seemingly harmless outing with his cousin, found himself in the clutches of a deadly crocodile. The incident, it appears, was a tragic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This tale of woe began when the two teenage cousins, aged 16 and 13, embarked on a journey across the Torres Strait. Their mode of transport was a humble dinghy. Little did they know, their adventure was set to take a dark turn.
Their journey took a treacherous turn when the dinghy suffered an unexpected engine failure. With the Torres Strait Island, their destination, in sight, the boys made the fateful decision to brave the waters and swim the remaining distance.
The waters of Torres Strait are home to a rich and diverse marine ecosystem, including some of nature’s most fearsome predators – crocodiles. The boys found themselves in these dangerous waters, oblivious of the lurking danger.
In their attempt to reach the shore, they inadvertently attracted the attention of a 3.5-meter-long crocodile. The ensuing encounter ended with the older boy missing, and the younger one making it to the shore.
Upon reaching the shore, the 13-year-old boy reported his cousin’s disappearance. Consequently, a large-scale search and rescue operation was launched by the Thursday Island Water Police, with support from general duties crews.
The search ended with the discovery of the 16-year-old’s body at Saibai Island. The injuries on the body were consistent with a crocodile attack, confirming the boy’s tragic demise.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, led by the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI). The local community has requested for the crocodile involved in the incident to be removed from the wild.
In light of the incident, wildlife officers will survey the waters off Saibai Island. The aim is to locate the crocodile involved in the attack and ensure the safety of the local community.
Saibai Island, located 4km south of Papua New Guinea, is one of the outermost islands in the Torres Strait. It’s a serene place, now marred by the tragedy of the crocodile attack.