26-05-2025
Boy, 13, is killed by 13ft crocodile in front of horrified pals while collecting football from river
A 13-year-old boy was killed by a crocodile in front of his horrified friends while trying to collect his football from a river in Indonesia.
Muhammad Syahputra Almanda was playing with his friends in a field next to their village in Jambi on Saturday.
The young schoolboy chased after the ball towards a nearby river, but as he bent down to scoop it up was snatched by a huge 13ft crocodile.
'He asked his friend to throw the ball into the water, and after it was thrown. He jumped in but he didn't resurface,' police said.
'Soon after, witnesses saw him in the jaws of a crocodile.'
Residents were heard screaming in footage of the incident as the young boy was dragged under the water by the crocodile.
Panicked villagers told the authorities, who arrived at the scene and found the predator still with the body before disappearing under the water.
Rescue teams scoured the river on boats and later found the schoolboy's body face down in the water at 9.05pm local time.
AKP Editasrif, spokesman for the East Tanjung Jabung Police, said: 'It all started when the victim and his friends were playing near the river.'
He said the boy jumped into the water to fetch the ball, but did not resurface.
Authorities later found the child with multiple injuries.
Muhammad's remains were returned to his parent's house for a funeral.
Lutfi Mulyawan, spokesman for the Jambi disaster response office (Basarnas), confirmed the identity of the young boy.
The Indonesian archipelago is home to 14 types of crocodiles, with a large population of large estuarine crocodiles that flourish in the region's climate.
Conservationists believe that crocodiles have been driven further inland closer to villages due to overfishing reducing the crocodiles' natural food supplies combined with habitat loss from the development of coastal areas into farms.
Widespread tin mining has also caused villagers to encroach on the crocodiles' natural habitats, pushing the creatures closer toward people's homes.
Only in March a beachgoer was found in the jaws of a crocodile off the coast of Central Sulawesi.
The 51-year-old, named locally as Sadarwinata, was attacked as he paddled near Talise Beach on March 27.
Locals said they screamed upon seeing the deadly crocodile's silhouette emerge, as it darted towards the unsuspecting man.
Horrified onlookers watched as the animal caught up to the swimmer before clamping him and thrashing.
The local rescue team said they received a report of the fatal attack at 7:15 am, whilst they launched a thermal drone at around 8am to monitor the victim's movements.
The crocodile was seen in aerial footage holding the man's body in its mouth near the coast.
Deny Abrahams, senior commissioner of the city police, said: 'According to eyewitness statements, the victim was swimming too close to the crocodile that was already visible around the location.
'They shouted to warn him, but the victim was in the water and didn't hear.
'The rescue efforts were carried out swiftly by the joint team. One of the members of the Central Sulawesi Police Mobile Brigade Corps was even forced to shoot the crocodile to make it release the victim.'
Officers collected Sadarwinata's body from the sea, and he was later taken to the Bhyangkara Hospital for a post-mortem exam.
