Several crocodiles have been shot dead in the Northern Territory river where rangers and police are searching for the body of a Darwin man attacked on Saturday.
Police and rangers are working to recover the body of a 24-year-old man at Mary River, 100 kilometres from Darwin.
The ABC reports friends were celebrating a 30th birthday party on Saturday night when two men from the group attempted to swim across the crocodile-infested Mary River.
Watch Commander Geoff Bahnert says friends saw one of the men being attacked by a large crocodile and taken under and are traumatised after witnessing the attack.
"So they've swum across and on the return leg it appears a large crocodile has taken the person in question and he was witnessed to be in the jaws of the crocodile as it swum up the river," he said.
Mr Bahnert says recovery teams have not found any trace of the man, but he hopes his remains will be recovered soon.
"Large crocodiles usually drown their victims at the first instance to make them easier to control," he said.
"So we have to assume from past incidents that, unfortunately, he may have died really quickly."
The victim's family has travelled to the scene of the attack from Katherine.
Manager of the nearby Bark Hutt Inn, Shaun Kelly, says the area is well marked with crocodile warning signs but still, some people take their chances.
