A one-year-old boy from Malaysia was killed by a crocodile while in a canoe with his father. They were fishing off the coast of Lahad Datu in Sabah when the animal attacked.
The father tried to fight off the crocodile and save his son but couldn’t stop it. He was badly injured and had to be pulled from the water by local villagers.
Authorities said the man had serious injuries to his head and body. He was taken to Lahad Datu Hospital for treatment while search teams looked for his son’s body.
The local fire and rescue chief said: “Many residents there rely on the river for their food and livelihood so they need to go into the water. We have warned them of the extra dangers at the moment and to be especially careful because the crocodile is likely to be still in the area.”
The Royal Malaysian Police are still searching. These kinds of attacks are rare but often deadly.
Crocodiles are believed to cause around 1,000 deaths every year. In 2022, a woman in Australia was attacked while swimming, and the crocodile responsible was later shot by wildlife officials.
In another case, a tourist in the Philippines was bitten after climbing a fence to get close to what he thought was a statue. It turned out to be a real crocodile, but he survived.
Local officials in Sabah are urging people to stay alert and avoid unnecessary contact with the water, especially while the crocodile involved in this case is still at large.