Many of those on board the vessel then flee into a mangrove rainforest, home to crocodiles, venomous snakes and giant cassowaries.
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| Reports say up to 20 people remain unaccounted for following the incident |
A boat filled with asylum seekers has run aground in crocodile-infested waters in Australia.
Many of those on board the rickety Vietnamese vessel, the first to reach the country in almost four years, then fled into a mangrove rainforest near the Daintree River in the tropical far north of Queensland state.
They will have to contend with crocodiles, venomous snakes and giant cassowaries - one of the world's deadliest and aggressive birds.
Queensland police minister Mark Ryan told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that 15 passengers have been found so far.
Two others, including the boat's captain, are still missing, ABC reported.
According to the Brisbane Courier, up to 20 people remain unaccounted for.
It added that those who have been detained were in good health.
State emergency service area controller Peter Rinaudo said his crews were searching through the mangroves and near the mouth of the river, reportedly with dogs.
"It'll be a hard slog, it's still quite warm in there and it'll be tough conditions for the guys," he told the ABC.
"I hope the people, however many there are, get located - it's not a nice area for them to be in."
Home affairs minister Peter Dutton said: "Australia, we believe, has received the first... people-smuggling venture in over 1,400 days.
"We will work with the agencies to make sure we can repatriate these people back to their country of origin, once we understand the facts of the matter."
Mr Dutton did not confirm how many people were on board the vessel or their nationalities.
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| Australian authorities have not confirmed how many people were on board or their nationalities |
Under its tough immigration policy, asylum seekers who try to get to Australia by boat are either turned back or sent to remote Pacific camps where conditions have been criticised.
The UN and human rights campaigners say the policy violates the 1951 Refugee Convention, of which Australia is a signatory.
Mr Dutton reaffirmed Canberra's tough stance on Monday, saying the latest incident was "a reminder that people-smugglers have not gone out of business".
"We've had a very proud record, over the course of the last few years, and we aren't going to take a backward step.
"The people-smugglers... will not succeed in putting people on to boats to get to Australia."
Most of the boats that have arrived in Australia in recent years have come from Indonesia, although some originated in Sri Lanka.
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