The victim’s friends described to investigators how he battled the formidable predator, before being dragged underwater and disappearing. A resident of the area has noted since such incidents have become more common in recent times: “He is not the first to be preyed upon by a crocodile in the water channel and unfortunately, probably not the last either”
Tragedy in Indonesia: A man in his 50s was preyed upon by a crocodile – and everything was recorded on camera by one of his friends. The horrific incident occurred near the village of Mahoda, in northern Kalimantan, where a man named Luther jumped to bathe in a water canal.
The video shows how the authorities erected a warning sign against crocodiles near the area where the 51-year-old jumped into the water. Luther then jumps into the water and as soon as his friend points the camera at him, one can see the tail of the predator hiding in the murky water of the canal. Its length has since been estimated at 4 meters.
“God forbid, the crocodile ate it!”, Says one of the victim’s friends behind the camera. Later, they described to investigators how Luther tried to fight the predator, but to no avail. He was dragged underwater and disappeared.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et40VEuTY60
A combined police and army search operation is underway, with forces scanning the canal in search of the victim. Despite this, no sign of the 51-year-old has yet been found. Terry Frio Ottomo, a lieutenant colonel in the Indonesian army, referred to the operation and defined it as complex and challenging.
“The searches are mostly conducted in tangled areas that are connected to additional water channels,” he said. “Beyond that, the equipment we have is not suitable for a mission of this kind. Nevertheless, we do our best to find the remains of the body so that his family members can perform a traditional funeral for him.”
Local authorities have since closed the arena and hung additional warning signs across the water canal. Meanwhile, one resident said that unfortunately, such incidents have become common over the years. “Such tragedies have happened here in the past,” he said. “Luther is not the first to be preyed upon by a crocodile in the water channel and unfortunately, probably not the last either.”