Alligator attacks 2-year-old boy at Orlando Disney World

A two-year-old boy who was attacked and dragged into the water by an alligator in Orlando's Disney Grand Floridian Resort and Spa Tuesday night was still reported missing early Wednesday morning.

Orange county Sheriff Jerry Demings said rescue personnel had been actively looking for the child in the Seven Seas Lagoon for hours in a search and recovery effort but had not found him, the Orlando Sentinel daily reported.

They hoped to find him before daylight, he said. A dive team with sonar equipment was on standby -- just part of a 50-person rescue team on the scene.

"As a father, as a grandfather, we're going to hope for the best in these circumstances, but based on my 35 years of law enforcement experience, we know we have some challenges ahead of us," Demings said.

Demings said the Nebraska family of five was relaxing on the shoreline when the alligator attacked the boy.

The father entered the water and tried to grab the child from the alligator, but was not successful. He had scratches on his hands after the ordeal.

--IANS

ksk/vt