Australia: 9-Year-Old Child in Critical Condition After Kakadu National Park Crocodile Attack

A young child is currently in critical condition at the hospital following an encounter with a crocodile in Kakadu National Park.

A nine-year-old child was airlifted to Royal Darwin Hospital following an incident on Saturday near Munmalary Homestead, located between the South Alligator and East Alligator Rivers within Kakadu.

Kakadu National Park Crocodile Attacks Child

(Photo : TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP via Getty Images)
A young boy photographs 'Rex' the giant salt water crocodile as he settles into his new purpose-built habitat at Sydney Wildlife World on December 22, 2009. Weighing in at over 700kg and measuring nearly 5 metres in length, the former rogue predator from Kakadu National Park in far-northern Australia is one of the largest of its kind in the world.

The patient was airlifted by helicopter from Jabiru at 9pm Saturday in a stable but critical condition with a number of puncture wounds after being bitten by the crocodile, according to CareFlight NT. Jabiru is a small town with a population of 1,000 that was established in 1982 to cater to the needs of the national park. CareFlight manages the Top End Medical Retrieval Service on behalf of the Northern Territory Government.

After the attack, the patient was taken to the Jabiru Community Health Center. CareFlight's specialist doctor and flight nurse provided treatment at the Jabiru clinic.

CareFlight declined to disclose additional information regarding the child's condition or the circumstances surrounding the attack. St. John Ambulance NT stated that they were not involved in the incident, except for their role in coordinating the transfer of a 9-year-old patient with Careflight.

After the attack, the patient was taken to the Jabiru Community Health Center. CareFlight's specialist doctor and flight nurse provided treatment at the Jabiru clinic. The patient was then airlifted by CareFlight to Royal Darwin Hospital, where they are currently in a critical but stable condition.

Child is Expected to Survive Crocodile Attack

Craig Garraway, the emergency communications manager at St John Ambulance, said they received a distress call regarding a nine-year-old who was bitten by a crocodile and suffered multiple puncture wounds. According to sources, there are indications that the child is a boy. Although the details of the injuries are not confirmed, it seems that he will recover.

"Probably a lucky escape I would suggest," Garraway said.

Parks Australia has confirmed that the incident occurred during a swimming activity.
A spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au that the incident took place in a section of Kakadu National Park that is not open to the public.
Parks Australia said Kakadu is home to approximately 10,000 crocodiles, which accounts for about 10 percent of the total crocodile population in the Northern Territory.