A boy has gone missing after being attacked by a crocodile, marking the second incident of its kind in the area within two weeks.
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Indonesia’s Borneo Island is home to several crocodile species known for their frequent and deadly attacks on humans. On Tuesday, a 10-year-old boy was attacked by a 13-foot crocodile after jumping into a river in West Kalimantan province, located on the biodiverse island of Borneo, according to a witness via CBS News.
“His friend witnessed the crocodile resurface, maul the victim’s body, and drag it into the current,” local police chief Rachmatul Isani Fachri explained per the outlet.
The boy’s friend alerted his father, who searched the river for his son’s body using a speedboat. However, the boy remains missing.
“Currently the search and rescue team and local people are still searching for the victim. Please pray so he will be found soon,” Rachmatul added.
Meanwhile, another young boy went missing in the same village after being attacked by a crocodile while bathing. His uncle witnessed the incident. Police reported the tragic event on Feb. 7.
The seven-day search for six-year-old Cristian Ricardo has ended. He is now presumed dead.
Indonesia Has Some of the Highest Incidents of Crocodile Attacks Globally
Borneo, shared by Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia, is teeming with saltwater crocodiles. The region has been plagued with croc attacks in recent months.
In December, a crocodile fatally attacked a woman in the same province of Borneo. Her body was later recovered.
In August, a crocodile attacked and killed a 54-year-old woman in a river on Indonesia’s Maluku Islands. Later that same month, a 63-year-old tin miner lost his life to a crocodile near a river on Bangka Island in Sumatra.
In 2023, the BBC explored why Indonesia experiences some of the highest numbers of saltwater crocodile attacks globally. Illegal mining has destroyed these animals’ habitats, pushing them closer to human areas, where they continue to cause problems.
Meanwhile, killers crocs aren’t the only thing lurking in Indonesian waters.
Indonesia has experienced a series of fatal python attacks in recent months. In one tragic incident last August, a woman in central Indonesia was discovered dead by her daughter after falling victim to a python.
In South Sulawesi, two women were found dead inside the bellies of snakes in separate incidents, one in July and another the previous month.