Girl, 5, killed by crocodile after being snatched off river bank by beast that crushed her skull in jaws in Indonesia

A YOUNG girl has been killed by a crocodile while bathing in a lake in Indonesia.

Caca, aged five, was wading into the water to join her parents for a bath when she was snatched off the river bank by the beast.

The tragedy took place around 9am on Saturday morning in Bukit Layang Village in the Bangka Regency, when the girl waded into the water.

The saltwater crocodile lunged at Caca, dragging the screaming girl into the murky depths as her parents desperately tried to save her. 

Rescue teams, including local police, villagers, and members of the Bangka Belitung search and rescue agency, worked through the day to locate the child.

Hours later, the crocodile was caught and brought ashore.

Caca, who had her skull crushed by the beast's jaws, had her body recovered early the following morning.

“The victim was snatched by a crocodile,” confirmed I Made Oka Astawa, head of the provincial search and rescue agency.

The girl’s body has since been handed over to her grieving family for burial.

The pond where the attack occurred is a remnant of tin-ore mining, a common sight in Bangka-Belitung, and has become a habitat for crocodiles.

The region, part of the Southeast Asian archipelago known for its exotic wildlife, has seen its share of fatal crocodile encounters over the years.

The remote island is being terrorised by 22ft crocodiles hiding in watering holes and dragging children to their deaths.

The island alone has seen some of the most savage attacks the world has ever witnessed - and Indonesia has had almost 10 times more saltwater crocodile attacks than any other country.

The ferocious predators can grow to 22ft-long and weigh more than 1,000kg - which makes them the world's largest reptile.

Since 2014, at least 478 people have been killed and another 531 injured in croc attacks - however these figures are believed to be a gross underestimate.

Tin mining has left the landscape littered with craters which fill with rainwater and become home for the spiralling croc population.

In 2020, a six-year-old boy was killed by a crocodile while swimming off Buru Island in Maluku province.

The predator was later shot dead by marine police.

A year earlier, a Sulawesi scientist was mauled by her pet crocodile after falling into its enclosure, while a fisherman in Kalimantan lost an arm to a crocodile attack that same year.

Even tourists have not been spared; in 2016, a Russian visitor was killed by a crocodile in the Raja Ampat Islands, a globally renowned diving destination.

Crocodile attacks remain a persistent threat in Indonesia, with human activity increasingly overlapping with the reptiles’ natural habitats.

Authorities in Bangka-Belitung are now urging residents to stay away from the water-filled mining pits.

It comes after a grandad was savagely mauled to death by a crocodile while going for a swim just metres from his home.

M Yunus, 68, was in the Peureulak River when the beast ripped him in half, leaving just his clothes and phone behind.