The video will start in 8 Cancel

News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

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.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

Were you at the hotel at the time of the attack? Email webnews@trinitymirror.com or call 0207 293 3247

(Image: EPA) (Image: EPA) (Image: Google Maps) (Image: Google Maps)

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 News.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

But she, too, was forced to watch the gator retreat into the lagoon with the little boy in its jaws.

Read more :

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.

(Image: Facebook) (Image: Coleman-Rayner)

“As a father, as a grandfather, we are going to hope for the best,” he said.

“These circumstances, based upon my 35 years of law enforcement experience, we know we have some challenges ahead.”

The alligator, said to be up to seven feet long, grabbed the youngster near the Victorian-style Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, a popular Disney destination with Brits.

Read more:

It is believed the tot was playing in around a foot of water with his mum - while his dad and two siblings were on the shore - when the drama unfolded.

"The father entered the water and tried to grab the child and was not successful in doing so. The mother also may have been in the water," Mr Demings told WESH.com.

(Image: EPA) (Image: Twitter / @KatherinePopp) (Image: Google Maps) (Image: Google Maps)

"The parents diligently tried to get the child."

A number of people, including a lifeguard, witnessed the horrific gator attack, which took place as hotel guests watched the film Zootopia near the bech.

In the movie, a rabbit police officer and a fox con artist work together to uncover a conspiracy after predators start disappearing in a mammal metropolis.

Police arrived at the scene of the attack after receiving a 911 call at 9.21pm. They quickly began searching for the toddler and cordoned off the area around the lagoon.

The little boy, who is yet to be identified, was on holiday with his parents and siblings at the time of the tragedy.

The family, from Nebraska, US, were reportedly staying at the hotel and had checked in on Sunday.

The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is a high end luxury resort at Walt Disney World Resort.

(Image: Twitter / @orlandosentinel) (Image: CNN)

Owned by Disney, it is one of three hotels linked by the park’s monorail line and just one stop away from the Magic Kingdom Park.

The venue, which boasts a luxurious spa, a beach pool, a cinema and a 181-foot-long waterslide, overlooks the Seven Seas Lagoon.

It also allows guests to watch films 'under the stars'. Alongside Zooptopia, other available films include Star Wards, Tangled and Teen Beach Movie.

On its website, Disney says: "Whether on the beach, poolside or surrounded by Floridian woodlands, enjoy relaxing evening entertainment that’s fun for the whole family."

In January, a massive alligator was pictured lazing on the shore of the lagoon, where 'no swimming' signs are posted.

And just two weeks ago, another creature - possibly the same one - was spotted gliding through the water.

Many visitors to the area have described seeing gators in and around the lagoon.

Hotel guest A.J. Jain and his family were visiting Disney from Georgia at the time that the toddler was dragged into the water by the gator.

He told the Sentinel that he and his children were playing on the beach near the scene of the incident earlier yesterday.

He said: "I’m just here to say a prayer.

"I can’t imagine what those parents are going through. It’s been one tough week in Orlando."

With sweltering heat and the magic of Mickey Mouse, the area was the most popular destination for Brits last year.

Read more :

Orlando is a magnet for families thanks to Walt Disney World and other attractions seeing almost one million UK visitors in the past 12 months.

A Walt Disney Company spokesman said resort employees were 'devastated' by the tragedy

Speaking at a press conference this morning, they said: "Everyone here at Walt Disney World Resort is devastated by this tragic accident.

(Image: Google Maps) (Image: Google Maps)

"Our thoughts are with the family and we are helping the family and doing everything we can to assist them."

The tragedy is the latest to strike Orlando after singer Christine Grimmie was shot dead at a concert meet-and-greet and 50 others were gunned down at a gay club in the city.

However, it is not the first gator attack at a Disney World hotel.

In October 1986, an eight-year-old boy was hospitalised after being attacked by one of the reptiles at the company's Fort Wilderness hotel in Orlando.

Paul Santamaria, from Bristol, New Hampshire, escaped without serious injury after his older sister pulled him out of the seven-foot-long creature's grip.

He was treated by medics for cuts to his thigh, knee and leg, the Sentinel reports.