Northern Territory police believe they have located the remains of a missing man inside one of two crocodiles shot in the Northern Territory on Sunday.

The 62-year-old man was attacked while on a billabong near a popular tourist spot in Kakadu National Park, south-east of Darwin.

It is understood the man’s wife, son and daughter-in-law were with him at the time.

Police say the crocodile that took him was 4.7 metres long.

Sergeant Andrew Hocking from Northern Territory Police says human remains were found inside one of the two crocodiles killed just before noon.

Sergeant Hocking says the crocodile with the remains was located about 1.5 kilometres from where the man was taken.

He says the area where the man went missing has recently been reopened following the conclusion of the wet season.

“The difficulty [with the search] in this location is getting in large boats. We’re only able to bring in small boats, but using the expertise of the Territory Parks and Wildlife staff, they managed to help us bring it to a conclusion,” he said.

“Thankfully this was carried out and [the victim] recovered very, very quickly.

“They [searches] can be quite difficult and take a number of days sometimes before any resolution.”

Attack unusual for time of year

Crocodile expert Graeme Webb says it is somewhat unusual for crocodiles to attack at this time of the year.

“Attacks usually occur in the warmer months of the year when the crocs are more active and they need more food, so it’s unusual to have an attack like this at this time of year,” he said.

“They are serious predators and people need to always treat them seriously.”

Sergeant Hocking has urged visitors to exercise caution when visiting the area where, he says, there is “always a potential for crocodile attack”.

“I encourage people to think carefully about their safety at all times,” he said.

“The water is deep in this billabong … a number of large crocodiles obviously frequent this area.”

Police say the man was not swimming in the water at the time of the attack but investigations into the exact circumstances are continuing.

The incident follows the death of a 12-year-old boy in January who was attacked by a crocodile at the same national park.

Human remains were found near where the boy had been swimming with friends in a billabong west of Jabiru.

Another 12-year-old was bitten on the arm in the attack. He fought the animal off and survived and was treated for cuts to his arms.