Awful news.
A one-year-old boy was eaten alive by a crocodile in front of his dad after the reptile snatched him from a canoe while the pair were on a fishing trip.
The man, a Palauh tribesman reported to be 45 years old, was fishing with his son off the coast of Lahad Datu in Sabah, Malaysia on Thursday morning (1 December) when the attack occurred.
The boy’s father, named only in reports as Moherat, was said to have tried to fight off the 11ft crocodile but was unable to and suffered multiple bite wounds, including a gash to his head.
Emergency services were called at around 10.30am after traumatised witnesses watched as the tragedy unfolded.
Villagers were said to have rescued Moherat, but the crocodile had already dragged his son into the depths.
The croc reportedly later emerged on the surface with the child’s mutilated body in its jaws before sinking below surface with the corpse.
Sumsoa Rashid, head of the Lahad Datu Fire and Rescue Agency, said in a statement:
“The father suffered serious head and body injuries.
“His son is still missing and search operations are ongoing.
“The man has been taken to the Lahad Datu Hospital for medical treatment.”
Rashid was further quoted in the Malaymail as saying the two victims were attacked when Moherat “was scouring the shore to land his boat”.
The Royal Malaysian Police and marine police have joined the local fire department in their search for the body of the boy.
Officials have warned villagers living along the stretch of the river to stay out of the water due to the threat of a repeat attack, with Sumsoa adding:
“Many residents there rely on the river for their food and livelihood so they need to go into the water.
“We have warned them of the extra dangers at the moment and to be especially careful because the crocodile is likely to be still in the area.”
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