A group of people are believed to be on the run in north Queensland after authorities located a deserted boat.

Key points: Local boaties reported seeing people leaving the suspected illegal vessel and running into the bush

Local boaties reported seeing people leaving the suspected illegal vessel and running into the bush 11 people have been located but an unknown number are yet to be found

11 people have been located but an unknown number are yet to be found There are concerns for those missing in the "treacherous crocodile habitat"

Australian Border Force said it is responding to what is believed to be an illegal fishing vessel in the Daintree River area in far north Queensland.

ABF officers are onsite and Queensland police are providing "ancillary law enforcement assistance".

The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed 11 people have been located so far.

Cairns state MP Michael Healy said the vessel was discovered abandoned in croc-infested waters.

Map Map of Cape Kimberley at the mouth of far north Queensland's Daintree River

"The crew, or whoever was on that boat, have abandoned that vessel, so the thought is that they're probably on land somewhere," he said.

"We don't know whether these are illegal refugees or we don't know if these are fishermen who were maybe fishing illegally and have ended up in Australian waters and the boat's gone bad and they've got trapped."

"It's still very much a moving beast — there are a number of [personnel] up there reacting to that.

"At the end of the day we need to make sure that everyone that comes in comes through the appropriate channels."

Daintree tourism operator David Patterson said local fishermen in the region were surprised to see the foreign vessel floating in the river.

"I'd just done a fishing tour at the mouth of the Daintree this morning and we saw this boat that looked like Chinese junk near Cape Kimberley," he said.

"It was empty and apparently, other boaties were saying over the radio, it was adrift and before that people were seen leaving it and running off into the bush at Cape Kimberley.

"We saw this boat and didn't think a lot of it really, then after the radio chatter [we heard] it was deserted and people were seen leaving it."

Douglas Shire Mayor Julia Leu said she was relieved some people onboard the vessel had been located, but said there were concerns for the safety of those still at large.

"There has been a concern throughout the afternoon that these people are putting themselves at risk in known crocodile habitat," she said.

"It's really quite treacherous to be in crocodile habitat in the Daintree, in the mangroves and in the rainforest, where you certainly don't know the area."

The boat was discovered abandoned in croc-infested waters. ( Credit: Courier Mail )

In a statement, a Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said the first priority was to confirm the safety and welfare of the people onboard the vessel.

Katter Australia Party leader Bob Katter, whose electorate of Kennedy is to the south of the Daintree region, said the incident was a reminder that Australia needed more resources when it came to border protection.

"This is a classic case. The border needs protection. The most important thing a government has to do is to protect its people," he said.

"The one good thing the Liberal Government had going for it was border security and whilst they have been busy playing party games this is what's happened."

Mr Katter said the reports of foreign vessels angered him "enormously".

"They have caught [some of] these people but how many out there haven't been caught?" he said.

"We have no capacity to intercept. There should be boats placed in Karumba, the Torres Strait, the Gove Peninsula and half a dozen boats placed in Darwin and Cairns."