URGENT WARNING: Child is attacked by an alligator in a horror scene while playing on the beach
A CHILD has been hospitalized with traumatic injuries after being bitten by an alligator on the beach.
The child was reportedly attacked on a stretch of coast in New Orleans that had been closed for over 60 years.
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First responders from the New Orleans Medical Services rushed to Lincoln Beach on Wednesday, August 30 and found the child critically injured.
The victim was taken to New Orleans Children’s Hospital, where he met criteria for classification as a trauma patient.
No information was given about her age, injuries or condition.
The attack happened on Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana, where Lincoln Beach is located.
The beach is a 15-acre property that was originally created in the early 20th century as a recreational area for black Americans.
It closed in 1964 the city of New Orleans.
“Structures and facilities at Lincoln Beach have gradually deteriorated over time due to lack of maintenance and a spate of hurricane impacts, leading to unsafe conditions at the site,” the city said.
“Access to the Lincoln Beach property is prohibited; however, there is ample evidence of improper and unlawful use of the beach,” the website reads.
The beach was apparently accessed via a service tunnel before the city closed that one too.
The tunnel was gated and filled with water and wildlife, including alligators and venomous snakes, the city noted.
The city reiterated after the incident that the beach remained unsafe and residents should stay away from the area.
“While the city is actively working to clean up the site so that all residents can enjoy it, a number of safety improvements are required before it can reopen to the public,” the city told local ABC affiliate WGNO TV.
“Until we know how to safely reopen Lincoln Beach to New Orleans residents, residents will have to stay away.”
Despite the warning, families were back on the beach Monday and saw young children playing in the water.
A man who lives in the area said alligators are often seen on the beach.
“Every night in the evenings over there I would see an alligator that kind of swam into his little hole over there,” he told the CBS affiliate in New Orleans WWL TV.
“It’s about a 12-foot model.
“The alligator is too friendly. People feed him and stuff, or they.”
It is still unclear how the child and his family ended up on the beach.
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