By Hope James
Residents of Eastern Indonesia have been thrown into a state of tension, as a crocodile reportedly killed a woman bathing in a river, Edum News reports.
The Indonesian Police disclosed this on Wednesday, stating that parts of her body were later recovered from the slaughtered animal.
The deceased, identified as Halima Rahakbauw, 54 year old, was said to have been swimming in a river in Wali village on the Maluku islands after spending Tuesday morning looking for clams when the reptile struck.
Rahakbauw’s neighbour, Rustam Ilyas, said relatives and friends started a search when she failed to return home.
After spotting a sandal and a body part in the river, villagers reported the incident to police who killed the reptile.
“The villagers had to cut open the crocodile’s belly to remove some of the victim’s body parts,” a local police officer, who requested anonymity stated.
He added that the crocodile was quite big, around four metres (12 feet)long, and that neither the police nor villagers could identify the species.
Indonesia is home to several species of crocodiles that regularly attack and kill humans.
