Sydney - An 11-year-old girl missing from her home in Australia's far north is likely to have been taken by a crocodile, Northern Territory police said Monday.

The girl went missing Sunday when she was swimming with friends in a Darwin river.

Her shorts have been found but there has been no sign of the girl or the crocodile.

One of the friends said she saw a crocodile in the river shortly before her friend went missing.

It would be the second fatal crocodile attack in the far north in five weeks.

The crocodile population has returned to full strength since hunting them was made illegal in 1971. (dpa)