US police searching for boy snatched by alligator

The two-year-old boy was paddling in a foot of water on a beach near a hotel beside the Seven Seas Lagoon at 9pm when the animal attacked and dragged him away.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demmings said, "The father was there nearby and the alligator came up and attacked. 

The father struggled and tried to get his son and was not successful and he alerted others nearby to assist him.

"We have in excess of 50 law-enforcement personnel at the scene actively searching the lake.

"As a father and a grandfather, we are hoping for the best in the circumstances but, based upon my 35 years of law enforcement experience, we know we have some challenges ahead of us."

Police have cordoned off the area while boats and a helicopter search the 14ft-deep man-made lagoon which is bordered by three holiday resorts and sand beaches.

It is not clear if the child's family, who are from Nebraska, were staying at the resort.

Magic Kingdom Park is one of four theme parks in the Walt Disney World Resort.