Crocodile Kills 7-Year-Old Child Swimming In River, Victim's Half-Eaten Body Found

A 7-year-old girl was attacked and killed by a crocodile while she was swimming in a river in Papua New Guinea on Monday.

The girl was with her 9-year-old sister and grandmother when the horrific incident took place. According to local media reports, the two girls were taking a dip in the Budaim river while their grandmother was washing dishes. Suddenly, a crocodile leaped out of the water and snatched the 7-year-old girl away.

The girl's uncle, Gedingyamo Sam, said the crocodile attempted to grab both the girls, but the 9-year-old child, identified as Alexia Giwi, managed to escape with few scratches on her body.

"This is the first time such an incident happened at the river," Sam said, according to the Post Courier. "We know crocodiles are frequenting this coastline between Buang river and Busamang village with incidences of them preying on animals like dogs and chickens."

"We find our animals going missing and we have had three deaths related to crocodile attacks several years ago at Buasic river but not at Budaim river."

Sam, who is also a pastor, said the entire community is in shock following the crocodile attack. He said the local people have teamed up and are scouring the river to locate the reptile and kill it.

Giwi told local media the crocodile grabbed her sister and hit her on her face with its tail. This made her fall on the top of the plates that were nearby. During this time, Giwi got a chance to escape, but her sister was taken away by the reptile.

The victim's remains were found a day later. According to a local health worker, the lower part of the girl was eaten by the crocodile. Rescuers could only find the upper part of the girl's body with the left hand intact.

In March, an 8-year-old boy was swallowed by a crocodile as he swam in a river in Indonesia. The child was along with his younger brother when the incident took place. The children's father was nearby when the attack took place and jumped to rescue his child, but it escaped. People in the area caught the massive crocodile and cut the reptile's stomach. The victim's body was pulled out of the reptile's stomach.