KOTA KINABALU: A woman was fishing by a river with her family when a huge crocodile attacked her in Kinabatangan district.

The woman, identified as Norsila Sayong, 32, was snatched from the riverbank at Tg Bulat Sinar Jaya, Kota Kinabatangan at around 3pm on Saturday (July 30).

Fire and Rescue chief for Kota Kinabatangan Nurul Azlan Shah Jamalludin said based on information gathered from the victim’s family, the crocodile had snatched her and swam away very quickly.

“They could not do much because the reptile had the victim tight in its jaws,” he said.

He said they wanted to grab her from the crocodile, but it was just too strong and too quick.

Azlan said the villagers there claimed that the reptile’s head was as big as a small wooden boat.

“Apparently, many have noticed the reptile nearby for quite some time. Many claimed to have seen just its head, apparently as big as a small boat above the water,” he said.

He said a team of search and rescuers were sent to find the victim after they received a distress call at around 3.42pm.

Azlan said their men had the chills when they were told about the size of the crocodile.

He said search operations will continue early Sunday (July 31).