Disney: ‘We are devastated and heartbroken by this tragic accident’

An alligator killed a 2-year-old boy at a Disney resort in Orlando. Top company officials reached out to his parents, and it closed all beaches at its Florida locations.

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“It seems unimaginable, especially at the Happiest Place on Earth,” CNN reported after 2-year-old Lane Graves was pulled underwater by an alligator at a Disney resort in Orlando, Florida.

The boy was wading in roughly one foot of water at the edge of the lake on Tuesday night when the alligator—which witnesses said was four to seven feet long—grabbed him and dragged him back into the water. A recovery team found the boy’s body about 16 hours later.

Officials said that the child’s father tried to fight off the alligator, but neither he nor a lifeguard could save the boy’s life.

The Associated Press reported:

The beach where the reptile grabbed the child is part of the luxury Grand Floridian resort, across the lake from Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park. The lake stretches over about 200 acres and reaches a depth of 14 feet. It feeds into a series of canals that wind through the entire Disney property.

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