A toddler was dragged into a lagoon by an alligator in front of his horrified family while playing in the water at a luxury Disney World resort.
The two-year-old boy was paddling on the shore of Disney's five-star Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando, Florida, when the gator suddenly attacked.
His parents watched in terror as the reptile clenched its jaws around him, before pulling him into the Seven Seas Lagoon near the premier hotel.
In a desperate bid to save the toddler's life, his dad tried to wrestle him from the gator, leaving him with cuts on his hands.
Tragically, his efforts to rescue his son were not successful, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
The toddler's mum - believed to have been playing with him at the time of the tragedy - also dived in the water in panic, according to the New York Daily New
Search and rescue teams have been searching the water for the tot since he was attacked by the gator in Florida shortly before 9.30pm yesterday local time (2.30am today UK time).
More than 50 people, including wildlife officials, have been involved in the search effort, while a diving team is on standby, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said.