Sampit, C Kalimantan (ANTARA) - A 74-year-old woman lost her left arm in a crocodile attack that again occurred in a creek in Sampit, the capital of Kotawaringin Timur District, Central Kalimantan, on Friday, at around 11:30 p.m. local time.
"Bahriah also suffers from a broken leg. She is now hospitalized at the Dr. Murjani Public Hospital," Zulkifli, Bahriah's grandson, stated in Sampit on Saturday.
Bahriah was snatched by a crocodile that evening when she had defecated inside a wooden toilet on the bank of the creek near the Pelangsian pier in Mentawa Baru Ketapang Sub-district, he remarked.
The crocodile snatched her left arm shortly after she walked down the stairs towards the creek for washing hands. Bahriah then yelled for help. Several people heard her scream and rushed to help her.
A wooden stand prevented her from falling into the creek, and the people were able to save her from the crocodile that kept attempting to drag her body into the water, Zulkifli stated.
Bahriah was then admitted to the Dr. Murjani Public Hospital for emergency medical care, he noted while urging local authorities to prevent any future recurrence of such similar deadly crocodile attacks in Sampit.
Crocodile attacks have repeatedly been reported from different parts of Indonesia.
In February 2019, a fisherman named Julhaidir, 41, was attacked by a large crocodile in the Seranggas River, East Kotawaringin District, Central Kalimantan Province. He lost one of his arms in the attack.
According to a local resident, identified as Yansyah, the incident occurred in the late afternoon when the victim was taking a bath in the Seranggas River, a tributary of the Mentaya River, in the Lempuyang Village area.
In July 2020, another crocodile attack again occurred. A six-year-old boy was snatched and eaten while swimming near the beach in Waimangit Village, Air Buaya Sub-district, Buru District, Maluku Province.
The Maluku marine police then shot the four-meter-long saltwater crocodile using an SS1 V5 rifle during a search mission, according to Maluku police spokesperson Sen. Coms. Muhammad Roem Ohoirat.
The crocodile was spotted by several residents of Waimangit Village near a river, and the village head urged the police to execute the wild animal since the villagers suspected it to have eaten a boy, identified as Johari Hentihu.
Hentihu had reportedly gone swimming with his friends Murni Sarea, Cinta Vanolong, and Lala Umasugi. After swimming, Hentihu's friends left him alone in the water.
When they returned several minutes later, Hentihu was nowhere to be found. They then reported him missing, Ohoirat stated.
Hentihu's family and local villagers searched for him but to no avail. Hence, they then reported the matter to the local police and SAR agency.
The search operation was conducted by five personnel of Maluku police's marine unit, led by Adjunct First Inspector Otis Damaryanan, along with several members of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) and local villagers.
The police managed to find and slay the crocodile. The remains of the deceased boy were fished out of the crocodile's stomach and buried, according to the police spokesperson.
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