A two-year-old boy is missing after he was dragged into a lagoon by an alligator at the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando - despite his father's frantic attempts to wrestle his son from the reptile's jaws.
The boy was dragged into the Seven Seas Lagoon near the upmarket Grand Floridian Resort & Spa around 9:20pm on Tuesday as he paddled in a foot of water with his parents and four-year-old sister - despite ‘no swimming’ signs being posted nearby.
Sheriffs say there is little hope of finding the boy alive after his father’s unsuccessful struggle with the seven-foot reptile, which also left him with lacerations to his arm.
Alligators are a relatively common sight at the resort but are removed and relocated when they reach four feet and get too close to guest areas.
Wildlife officers on Wednesday morning confirmed that they had already captured and killed four alligators in the lagoon while searching for the child, but none of them were the one that grabbed the boy.
An aerial image showing the spot on the beach where the two-year-old boy had been wading in the water before he was snatched by an alligator
The child had been paddling with his parents and four-year-old sister despite the 'no swimming' signs, pictured, which were posted nearby. However,the signs do not warn that alligators might be in the lagoon
Disney World's flagship resort, the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, is on the waterfront and a stop away from the Magic Kingdom on the monorail
The boy was dragged into the Seven Seas Lagoon near the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa (pictured) at 9.30pm
During a news conference today, Nick Wiley from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation said that the organization works closely with Disney to remove all nuisance alligators.
He added that they had already taken four alligators while searching for the boy, which were analysed for evidence and then euthanized.
Wiley also explained he was certain that they would find the boy, but added that it may take some time.
Meanwhile Jeff Williamson, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department said they were determined to find the boy in order to bring comfort to his family.
He said they were doing everything possible to find the child and that they still regarded the effort as a 'search and rescue' operation.
New sheriff's deputies were brought in Wednesday morning to bring 'new eyes' to the search, on the ground and in the air. Alligator trappers and divers were also called in to help.
Earlier, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the toddler, who was part of a family of five, arrived in Orlando on vacation from Nebraska on Sunday.
He told a news conference last night that the parents and their three children had been on the beach at the time of the attack.
Police sealed off the area where the boy was grabbed by the reptile and dragged into the Seven Seas Lagoon
The boy was dragged into the Seven Seas Lagoon near the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa around 9.20pm on Tuesday. Above, police officers and emergency teams at the scene
A two-year-old boy was dragged into the water by an alligator near a Disney World hotel in Orlando - despite his desperate father's attempts to wrestle his son from the reptile's jaws
Police officers search for a child who was reportedly being pulled into the water by an alligator near Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando
Sheriff Demings told a news conference shortly after 1am on Monday that the parents and their three children had been relaxing on the beach near the lagoon at the time of the attack
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings (pictured above) said the family of five arrived in Orlando on vacation from Nebraska on Sunday
Demings said: 'The father entered the water and tried to grab the child but he was not successful in doing so. I'm told that at some point, the mother also entered the water.'
He said that the family had been enjoying a 'movie night' and the child had been in a play pen.
Later, as the boy played, he waded in about one foot of water with his mother and the alligator - believed to be anywhere between four and seven feet long - attacked.
'As they waded into the water along the lake's edge at the time, that's when the alligator attacked,' he said.
He added that the family alerted a nearby lifeguard but they were not able to save the boy. The father was left with scratches after the ordeal.
'We are not leaving until we recover the child,' Demings added, saying there were more than 50 law enforcement personnel who are actively searching the lake.
'The sad reality of it is it's been several hours and we're not likely going to recover a live body.'
An aerial shot shows the scene over Disney World's flagship resort as authorities continue their search
Authorities were pictured sealing off the beach area with crime-scene tape (above) after the attack
'As a father, as a grandfather, we are going to hope for the best in these circumstances but based on my 35 years of experience, we know that we have some challenges ahead,' he said.
Demings said there had been no other recent reports of similar alligator attacks on the lake.
'We have no record of this happening before,' he added.
Asked about the recent tragedies that have rocked Orlando in recent days, including the murder of singer Christina Grimmie after a concert and the massacre at Pulse nightclub that left 49 people dead at the hands of a lone gunman, Demings replied: 'Our staff are very resilient.'
'They are very focused, if you will, on assisting this family,' he added.
The family had alerted a nearby lifeguard but they were not able to save the boy, authorities said
A crowd gathered at the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon near the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa after the child went missing
A spokeswoman for Disney also spoke at the conference, saying: 'Everyone here at Walt Disney World is devastated by this tragic accident.
'Our thoughts are with the family. We are doing everything we can to help law enforcement.'
Chad Weber, with Florida Fish and Wildlife, said that the agency had sent alligator trappers to aid the operation.
'We would like to express thoughts and prayers to the family at this time,' he said. 'We will be here until the child is found.'
In a statement issued late on Tuesday night, Orange County Sheriff's Office's spokeswoman Rose Silva said the Sheriff's Office received a call about an emergency at the scene at 9:21pm.
Florida Fish and Wildlife, Reedy Creek Fire Rescue and the Sheriff's Office responded and a search and recovery operation for the child is underway, she said.
Shortly afterwards, authorities were pictured sealing off the area with crime-scene tape and searching the water by helicopter and by boat.
Orange County Sheriff's Office's spokeswoman Rose Silva said the child has not been found, adding that deputies are continuing to searching the lagoon
One hotel guest said that there was a 'movie night' on the beach on Tuesday night which is where the child was attacked by the alligator
Late on Tuesday night, a man named Christian wrote on Twitter: 'Just overheard a group talking about how the father was wrestling with the alligator. This just gets worse and worse.'
Guests were all asked to leave a hotel balcony overlooking the area by staff, he added.
Others said the family had been watching the Wishes fireworks spectacular, which starts at 9pm and runs for more than 12 minutes, at the time of the reported attack.
A hotel spokesman declined to comment when approached by Daily Mail Online.
Christal Hayes, a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, wrote on Twitter: 'A lot of the crowd says the boy was on a beach area along the Seven Seas Lagoon when he was dragged in. No eye witnesses, though.'
'I'm just here to say a prayer,' AJ Jain, 51, who is on holiday from Georgia, told Hayes.
'I can't imagine what those parents are going through. It's been one tough week in Orlando.'
The Grand Floridian Resort is one of three luxury hotels located along the lagoon's edge. It is a stop away from Magic Kingdom Park on the monorail line.
One man said that there was a 'movie night' on the beach on Tuesday night, which is where the alligator may have attacked the toddler before dragging the child into the lagoon
Guests were all asked to leave a hotel balcony overlooking the area by staff, a man named Christian said
It is not known if the child or his family are guests at the hotel, where prices were standard rooms start from $569 per night.
Alligators are understood to be fairly common on Walt Disney World property as the resort lies in the middle of Florida's swamp land.
If alligators get larger than four feet in size, they are caught and relocated to an area close to the resort called Gator Alley.
But as alligators are often considered as shy creatures, they can be extremely hard to round-up and it is not unheard of for them to be spotted on golf courses at Walt Disney World.
According to the blog Hidden Mickeys, one guest was waterskiing on the Seven Seas Lagoon several years ago when he dove in to cool off.
When he asked the boat driver if there were any gators in the water, he replied 'Yep, we pulled an eight footer out last week!'
The guest was assured that they are generally timid and scared of boats and metal screening is installed before the shorelines to prevent any of them from getting into the swimming areas of the resorts.
It is also not the first time that an alligator has attacked a small child at the Disney World resort in Florida.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, then eight-year-old Paul Santamaria was bitten by a reptile at the Fort Wilderness hotel in 1986.
However, the boy from Bristol, New Hampshire, escaped without being seriously injured after his older sister managed to pull him from the creature's grip.
He was taken to hospital but only suffered cuts to his thigh, knee and leg.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, there have been 41 unprovoked alligator attacks in the state since 2010.
DOZENS OF ATTACKS BY ALLIGATORS ARE REPORTED IN FLORIDA EVERY YEAR
Wildlife officials wrestle with an alligator and load it on to the back of a truck after it killed a swimmer in Florida last year
Millions of alligators live in the 10 southern states of America with 1.3million alone in Florida.
Since the 1940s officials in Florida have recorded attacks by alligators against humans, with around a dozen reported each year.
There have been at least 41 unprovoked alligator attacks in Florida since 2010, according to the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission records.
Last year there were two deaths, which were determined to have been caused by alligator attacks.
In November, Matthew Riggins, 22, was drowned by an alligator before being eaten while trying to hide from police.
He was reported missing shortly after he and another man had made a plan to rob houses in Barefoot Bay according to his girlfriend.
Both Matthew Riggins, left, and James Okkerse, right, where killed in alligators attacks in Florida last year
His body was found 10 days later floating in Barefoot Bay pond - closely guarded by an 11-foot alligator.
While a month beforehand, 61-year-old James Okkerse was the first fatality in an alligator attack since 2007.
Mr Okkerse had been snorkelling with friends in Blue Spring State Park when he went missing.
Several hours later his body was found near a 12-foot alligator that had previously been spotted and caused a swimming area at the park to close twice.
Around 1.3million alligators live in Florida, with an average of a dozen attacks against humans recorded each year (file pic)
Officials then decided to kill the animal because of the threat it posed to park guests.
However, attacks by alligators are considered to be relatively rare as they generally shy away from humans.
But if provoked, they are prone to attack as they can become defensive and aggressive.