Police in Orlando are searching for a two-year-old boy dragged into the water by an alligator at a Disney-owned resort.

The boy was playing on the shoreline of the Seven Seas Lagoon at the Disney Grand Floridian Resort and Spa near Magic Kingdom, when the animal dragged him away, with the boy’s father trying in vain to wrestle the child from the alligator.

“There is a sandy beach area and the family was out simply relaxing ... and in the water along the lake’s edge at the time the alligator attacked the child,” said Jerry Demings, Orange County Sheriff.

“It’s my understanding the father was there nearby and the child was playing in the water, just a foot or so into the water, and the alligator came up.

“The father at some point struggled to try to get his son and was not successful and then alerted others to try and assist him in the process.”

Fifty police and wildlife experts are now searching for the boy. A Disney spokesperson said the company is “devastated” by the tragic event.

Alligators are frequent in Florida waters, with the reptiles found in all of the state’s 67 counties. Population growth in areas near water have led to “more frequent alligator-human interactions, and a greater potential for conflict”, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.