A fisherman who was dragged underwater by a ferocious crocodile as his horrified family looked on has been found dead. Jacob Tuan, 32, disappeared under the murky waters of the Muara Senggey River in the Malaysian part of the island of Borneo during a night fishing trip at around 10pm local time on Friday.
Local media reports Mr Tuan was attacked around 220 yards from a road where he and family members had set up on the riverbank to hunt for catfish. Mr Tuan’s father-in-law Eddie Rengkang, 50, said that the evening fishing trip was going well until they realised Mr Tuan’s line had caught on something in the water.
Mr Rengkang told local reporters: “The hook got stuck, and we couldn’t reel it in. We didn’t realise something much bigger was waiting.”
Both men entered the knee-deep water to try and dislodge the fishing line and that’s when the crocodile struck. The incident is the latest in a series of attacks by large crocodiles on people in Malaysia.
“When I looked back, he was gone. But his voice called ‘Bapa!’ still haunts me. Then he went under… it grabbed his leg. The crocodile was huge, about the size of a door,” Mr Rengkang told the Sarawak Tribune.
Mr Tuan’s body was found several hours later after a search and rescue operation was launched by the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba).
A statement from Bomba said: “The incident occurred at a riverbank about 200 metres from the nearby road. However, the search-and-rescue (SAR) team faced difficulties due to thick vegetation and poor visibility.
“The victim’s body had multiple injuries believed to have been caused by a crocodile attack. He was confirmed dead, and the body has been sent to Sarawak General Hospital for further action.”
Mr Tuan’s wife Linda Ali, aged 30, said she raced to the scene as soon as she was alerted her husband had gone missing.
She told reporters: “He was a loving and good husband. Before he went fishing, he told me that night, he said he wanted to go with my father. That was the last time we spoke.
“His loss has hit me hard. I’ve lost the person I depended on.”
Borneo has an estimated population of around 10,000 to 15,000 dangerous saltwater crocodiles, the largest species of crocodilian, which can grow up to 20-feet-long and weigh over 3,000lbs.
