JAKARTA: A man has been found dead on Wednesday (May 14) after being attacked by a crocodile while swimming through a canal on Indonesia's Sumatra island, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
The 45-year-old was swimming with a friend on Tuesday when the crocodile pulled him underwater, according to Abdul Malik, a spokesman for the national search and rescue agency Basarnas.
His friend reportedly tried to grab his arm but was unable to save him.
Rescuers recovered the body about 200m from the point where he was last seen.
The canal runs through a palm oil plantation. Environmental groups say the expansion of such plantations has disrupted natural habitats and increased human-crocodile encounters.
Indonesia has recorded more crocodile attacks than any other country, mostly involving saltwater crocodiles.
Between 2015 and 2024, over 1,100 attacks were reported, more than 550 of them fatal, according to the organisation CrocAttack. -- Bernama-dpa
