How the fuck do parents let this shit happen......My god sickening.
A TODDLER has been dragged into the water by an alligator during a movie night at a popular Disney resort in Orlando.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office said the two-year-old child, believed to be a boy, was pulled into the Seven Seas Lagoon near Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Rose Silva told the Orlando Sentinel the child was taken about 9.30pm local time.
Katherine White Popp, whose room is directly outside where the child was taken, said she overheard the mother’s screams.
“Just heard the mother grieving her baby. My heart is shattered. I’m standing outside watching them search for someone’s baby,” she wrote on Twitter.
Ms Popp, who is visiting the resort, said the search party was growing by the minute.
Police are continuing to search for the child and a crime scene has been established.
News.com.au contacted the resort, but staff were not willing to comment on the matter.
Several people on social media said the child was on the beach at the time watching a movie.
A.J. Jain, a guest at the hotel, told The Sentinel he and his family were playing at the beach just hours earlier.
“I’m just here to say a prayer,” he said. “I can’t imagine what those parents are going through. “It’s been one tough week in Orlando.”
The hotel is an upscale luxury resort owned by Disney and is one of three hotels on the monorail line.
It is just one stop from the Magic Kingdom Park.
The Seven Seas Lagoon is popular with water lovers and boating enthusiasts.
The family was likely watching Zootopia when the child was taken, according to the resort’s website.
The resort’s beach pool is directly next to the lake and overlooks the Seven Seas Lagoon.
Alexander DeMella, who was watching the events unfold from his Disney balcony, told news.com.au resort staff and authorities had said “no one is allowed on the beaches at this time”.
“[The search] is still very active and [the] chopper keeps circling,” he said.
It is not clear if the missing child was staying at the hotel.
In a statement released to the media, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a call had been received from the resort area and a search and recovery effort was underway for the two-year-old.
According to Fox 2, dive teams are scouring the water.
Florida Fish and wildlife have also joined the search and a news conference will take place shortly.
Florida is renowned for having more alligators than any other US state. Authorities estimate there are between 1.3 million and 2 million alligators across the state.
There were two fatal alligator attacks in Florida last year in the first reported deaths since 2007.
Climate change activists have been warning for years that rising sea levels are pushing Florida’s wildlife out of their natural habitat and closer to urban areas.
Florida is considered one of the most vulnerable states in America when it comes to rising sea levels, causing the ocean to start seeping into the Everglades swampland, where alligators live.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, population growth and increasing participation in water-related activities are resulting in more frequent alligator-human interactions.
A TODDLER has been dragged into the water by an alligator during a movie night at a popular Disney resort in Orlando.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office said the two-year-old child, believed to be a boy, was pulled into the Seven Seas Lagoon near Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Rose Silva told the Orlando Sentinel the child was taken about 9.30pm local time.
Katherine White Popp, whose room is directly outside where the child was taken, said she overheard the mother’s screams.
“Just heard the mother grieving her baby. My heart is shattered. I’m standing outside watching them search for someone’s baby,” she wrote on Twitter.
Ms Popp, who is visiting the resort, said the search party was growing by the minute.
Police are continuing to search for the child and a crime scene has been established.
News.com.au contacted the resort, but staff were not willing to comment on the matter.
Several people on social media said the child was on the beach at the time watching a movie.
A.J. Jain, a guest at the hotel, told The Sentinel he and his family were playing at the beach just hours earlier.
“I’m just here to say a prayer,” he said. “I can’t imagine what those parents are going through. “It’s been one tough week in Orlando.”
The hotel is an upscale luxury resort owned by Disney and is one of three hotels on the monorail line.
It is just one stop from the Magic Kingdom Park.
The Seven Seas Lagoon is popular with water lovers and boating enthusiasts.
The family was likely watching Zootopia when the child was taken, according to the resort’s website.
The resort’s beach pool is directly next to the lake and overlooks the Seven Seas Lagoon.
Alexander DeMella, who was watching the events unfold from his Disney balcony, told news.com.au resort staff and authorities had said “no one is allowed on the beaches at this time”.
“[The search] is still very active and [the] chopper keeps circling,” he said.
It is not clear if the missing child was staying at the hotel.
In a statement released to the media, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a call had been received from the resort area and a search and recovery effort was underway for the two-year-old.
According to Fox 2, dive teams are scouring the water.
Florida Fish and wildlife have also joined the search and a news conference will take place shortly.
Florida is renowned for having more alligators than any other US state. Authorities estimate there are between 1.3 million and 2 million alligators across the state.
There were two fatal alligator attacks in Florida last year in the first reported deaths since 2007.
Climate change activists have been warning for years that rising sea levels are pushing Florida’s wildlife out of their natural habitat and closer to urban areas.
Florida is considered one of the most vulnerable states in America when it comes to rising sea levels, causing the ocean to start seeping into the Everglades swampland, where alligators live.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, population growth and increasing participation in water-related activities are resulting in more frequent alligator-human interactions.
