Boy in intensive care after croc attack in Kakadu National Park

A young boy is fighting for his life after he was attacked by a crocodile in Kakadu National Park.

The nine-year-old boy was flown to hospital in Darwin in a critical condition after the attack at 9pm Saturday.

“Following the attack, the patient was transported to the Jabiru Community Health Centre,” a CareFlight spokesperson said.

CareFlight’s specialist doctor and flight nurse initially treated the child at the Jabiru clinic.

The child was airlifted from Jabiru, a town of about 1000 people surrounded by the national park.

He was later airlifted via CareFlight King Air to Darwin Hospital in a critical but stable condition.

CareFlight operates the Top End Medical Retrieval Service on behalf of the Northern Territory Government.

There are around 10,000 crocodiles in the national park – accounting for about 10 per cent of all crocodiles in the territory, according to the park’s website.

“Remember that wherever there is water, there might be crocodiles. Be careful near rivers and billabongs and pay attention to croc warning signs,” the website reads.

A Parks Australia spokesperson said they were notified of the incident in which a person was injured by a crocodile while swimming.

“The incident occurred in an area within Kakadu National Park that is not accessible to the general public,” the spokesperson said.