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Remains of boy, five, found in Australian crocodile

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-02-19 19:18

SYDNEY– The remains of a missing five-year-old boy have been found in the stomach of acrocodile caught after floods ravaged northern Australia, police have said.

A small town in northern Queensland is flooded after torrential rain. The remains of a missing five-year-old boy have been found in the stomach of a crocodile caught after floods ravaged northern Australia, police said. [Agencies]

Jeremy Doble disappeared on February 8 when he followed his dog into a flood-swollen river in the far north of Queensland.

His seven-year-old brother told police he had seen a crocodile in the river moments after Jeremy disappeared.

Despite a large-scale search, the youngster was never found.

Queensland police announced on Tuesday that an examination carried out on a crocodile trapped near the spot had revealed the remains of the boy in its stomach.

"The family have requested that media respect their privacy at this time," police said in a statement.

Floods devastated large swathes of Queensland state, as the nation's worst ever wild fires raged in the south of Australia.

Much of the state was declared a disaster zone, with an area of more than a million square kilometres (386,100 square miles) and 3,000 homes affected by floods due to torrential rains.

Hundreds of people were forced to flee and others were left stranded in their homes by the rising water.