Police said a young child was dragged into water by a crocodile near Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando. Picture: Menardness/Twitter

“We’ve already taken four alligators but we couldn’t find any evidence they were involved,” Nick Wiley from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation said in a press conference.

“They have to be euthanised to be analysed.”

“It’s too early to focus on what may have happened, we still just need to focus on trying to find the child,” he said.

“The daylight hours will help. Alligators are still active, we’ll be able to see more and we’ll be able to observe more.”

Overnight more than 50 police and two marine officers searched for a two-year-old child who was dragged into the water by an alligator during a movie night at a popular Disney resort in Orlando.

Orange Countty Sheriff spokesman Jeff Williamson said the search is still in “embryonic” stages and there has been no sign of the child.

“We’re searching hopefully for a little boy that might bring a family some comfort.”

He also confirmed a “struggle did ensue” as the father tried to save his son.

“They are very shaken up ... It is tragic, it’s just simply heartbreaking, there is no other way to say it.”

A file picture of the resort where the boy was taken. A Fish and Wildlife expert involved in the search said the lake connected to a large network of waterways via canals. Picture: JIM WATSONSource:AFP

On Tuesday Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the child was snatched while on holiday with his mother, father and two siblings from Nebraska.

The family checked into the resort on June 12 and the boy was playing at the water’s edge in about one foot of water when the alligator stuck, according to eyewitnesses at the scene.

Sheriff Demings confirmed the father had jumped in and tried to wrestle the child from the alligator but was unable to.

“We’ll be out throughout the night and morning continuing the search until we’re able to have a peaceful successful resolution,” Sheriff Demings said.

“For the family we are hopeful we are able to locate the child.”

Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahaler said everyone at the resort was devastated by what happened and Disney is helping the family.

When asked if Disney was aware of alligators on the property, Wahaler advised there were signs that said “no swimming.” Demings said there had been no other recent reports of similar alligator attacks on the lake.

Police officers search for a child who was reportedly pulled into the water by an alligator near Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando, Florida, USA. Picture: John Taggart/EPASource:AAP

Police said witnesses described the alligator as being between four and seven feet long.

Sheriff Demings said the father suffered from minor scratches on his hands and believed the mother also entered the water at one point in a desperate attempt to retrieve their child.

The couple raised the alarm with lifeguards but by that time the alligator had disappeared with the child.

A 911 call was received at 9.16pm local time.

“As a father, as a grandfather we’re going to hope for the best but based upon my 35 years in law enforcement, we know we have some challenges ahead at this time,” Sheriff Demings said.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the search will not stop until the boy is found.Source:Supplied

‘MY HEART IS SHATTERED’

Katherine White Popp, whose room is directly outside where the child was taken, said she overheard the mother’s screams.

“Just heard the mother grieving her baby. My heart is shattered. I’m standing outside watching them search for someone’s baby,” she wrote on Twitter.

Ms Popp, who is visiting the resort, said the search party was growing by the minute.

Staff at the resort were unwilling to comment on the incident.

Several people on social media said the child was on the beach at the time watching a movie.

A.J. Jain, a guest at the hotel, told The Orlando Sentinel he and his family were playing at the beach just hours earlier.

“I’m just here to say a prayer,” he said. “I can’t imagine what those parents are going through. “It’s been one tough week in Orlando.”

In the past week The Voice singer Christina Gimme was shot dead and 49 people were also killed in Orlando’s Pulse nightclub by gunman Omar Mateen in a terror attack.

The child is still missing and helicopters have joined the search. Picture: Menardness/TwitterSource:Twitter

The hotel is an upscale luxury resort owned by Disney and is one of three hotels on the monorail line.

It is just one stop from the Magic Kingdom Park and the Seven Seas Lagoon is popular with water lovers and boating enthusiasts. The resort’s beach pool is directly next to the lake and overlooks the Seven Seas Lagoon.

Alexander DeMella, who was watching the events unfold from his Disney balcony, told news.com.au resort staff and authorities had said “no one is allowed on the beaches at this time”.

“[The search] is still very active and [the] chopper keeps circling,” he said.

Florida is renowned for having more alligators than any other US state. Authorities estimate there are between 1.3 million and 2 million alligators across the state.

There were two fatal alligator attacks in Florida last year in the first reported deaths since 2007.

Florida is considered one of the most vulnerable states in America when it comes to rising sea levels, causing the ocean to start seeping into the Everglades swampland, where alligators live.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, population growth and increasing participation in water-related activities are resulting in more frequent alligator-human interactions.

WAS DISNEY RESPONSIBLE?

Sheriff Demings confirmed there was a sign near the water warning people not to swim.

It is unknown whether the signs mentioned anything about alligators crawling in the waters.

A Disney spokeswoman did not go into detail about the tragic incident but said the resort was devastated and was helping the family and authorities.

Sheriff Demings said police had not received any recent reports or complaints about nuisance alligators but authorities will conduct further investigations.

A witness told a journalist at the Orlando Sentinel they reported a sighting of an alligator to police prior to the attack on the toddler, but Sheriff Demings said he was unaware of the report.

The area where the young boy was taken.Source:news.com.au

The incident is just the latest in a series of tragic events for Orlando.

The Voicesinger Christina Grimmie was shot on Saturday as she signed autographs for fans at a merchandise table in The Plaza Live concert venue.

The gunman, Kevin James Loibl, travelled to Orlando from another Florida city specifically to attack her. Grimmie’s brother, Marcus, immediately tackled the gunman, who then shot and killed himself during the struggle.

On Sunday morning, 49 people were killed and 53 more were injured after a gunman forced his way into a gay nightclub, making it the deadliest mass shooting in US history.

The shooter, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, opened fire at Pulse nightclub with a handgun and an “AR-15” assault rifle in an event that sparked an outpouring of grief around the world.

Hotel guest Katherine Popp said the child was taken on the beach not far from her room. Picture: Katherine Popp/TwitterSource:Twitter

The incident also comes after a four-year-old boy fell into the gorilla enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo last month. Keepers were forced to shoot and kill the 17-year-old gorilla named Harambe.

Authorities said the boy, who fell about three metres, was expected to recover after being picked up and dragged by Harambe for about 10 minutes.

Zoo director Thane Maynard said the zoo’s dangerous animal response team decided the boy was in “a life-threatening situation” and they needed to put down the 200kg male gorilla.

The beach at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Walt Disney World, Florida.Source:Alamy