The horrific moment a crocodile was seen swimming in a river while holding a woman in its mouth was captured by shocked witnesses. The victim, identified as 57-year-old Soudamini Mahala, was snatched by the large reptile whilst bathing in the Kharastrota River in eastern India, local police confirmed.
Villagers rushed to the scene of the attack in Kantia in Odisha’s Jajpur district on Monday afternoon but were unable to rescue her. A shocking video showing the lifeless body of Ms Mahala being dragged through the water in the crocodile’s mouth went viral on social media. Upset locals could be heard shouting in the distressing video.
A police spokesperson said: “The woman was taking a bath in the Kharasrota river around 4pm on Monday.
“A crocodile dragged her into the high stream of the river. Villagers present on the riverbank tried to chase the reptile but failed to rescue her.”
The spokesperson added that after receiving reports of the attack, police and fire crews were sent to the scene and launched a search operation.
Eyewitness Naba Kishore Mahala told local media: “As we noticed that the crocodile was dragging the woman into the river, we jumped to rescue her, but all our efforts went in vain.”
The harrowing incident comes weeks after a mother-of-three died in another crocodile attack in India.
The woman’s half-eaten body was reportedly discovered on a riverbank a day later.
The victim, named locally as Laxmi Dalei, was attacked on September 19 while fishing in the Gobari River near a national park in Odisha, according to The Mirror.
Santanu Kumar Dalei, a forest range officer of Mahakalapada, told the Press Trust of India: “The crocodile emerged from nowhere and lunged at her. Before she could react, it dragged her into the water.”