Friends watch helplessly as crocodile snatches man in Sabah, Latest World News - The New Paper
World

Friends watch helplessly as crocodile snatches man in Sabah

This article is more than 12 months old

KOTA KINABALU, Sabah - A group of men could only look on helplessly as their friend was mauled by a crocodile in Sabah’s east coast Lahad Datu district early Wednesday.

In the pre-dawn attack, four men were trapping crabs in waters off Kampung Tinagian, Tanjung Labian, when the reptile lunged at the victim, a 23-year-old oil palm plantation worker.

“The three friends could only watch as the attack happened in a split second,” said Lahad Datu police chief Dr Rohan Shah Ahmad.

“The friend vanished in an instant (into the water) before they could do anything,” he added.

Later, at 7.20am, the man’s body was found face down on the beach near the army post at Kampung Tanjung Batu, 4.8km away, said Dr Rohan.

He added that the victim, a foreigner, had sustained bite marks on the left arm and head and scratches on the chest and backside.

Dr Rohan said a police team later brought the remains to the Lahad Datu Hospital’s forensics department for a postmortem.

“This was the first such attack in Lahad Datu this year. We advise the community, especially those carrying out activities at sea or rivers, to be extra cautious,” he said. - THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

malaysiaSABAH/SARAWAK/LABUANanimalspolice