Authorities in Far North Queensland fear a fisherman missing for more than 24 hours has been taken by a crocodile.
Police say the 69-year-old man left his yacht in a 2-metre dinghy to go fishing near Hinchinbrook Island on Thursday afternoon.
He failed to return that night, prompting an air and sea search.
There was no sign of the man, but his capsized and damaged dingy was located early on Friday morning.
The Department of Environment and Science (DES) said its experts had examined the craft and deemed it highly likely a crocodile was involved.
DES said the exact circumstances remained unclear but that wildlife teams were trying to locate the reptile.
The last fatal crocodile attack in Queensland occurred in October 2017, when Anne Cameron, 79, was attacked on the banks of a creek inlet near the Mowbray River, north of Cairns.
She had disappeared from a nearby aged care facility after going for a walk.
Ms Cameron's jewellery and walking stick had been found on the banks of the creek and the crocodile was later found and killed.
