Crocodile Takes Woman During Night Swim in Australia

Sydney : A woman is feared dead after being taken by a crocodile following a late night swim with a friend on a beach in northern Australia, police said monday (May 30).

The woman, both aged in their 40s, went for a stroll on Thornton beach Sunday evening in the far north of Queensland state before making a fateful decision to go for a dip in an area known to be infested with crocodiles.

"The woman was swimming with a female friend at 10.30pm when the incident occured," police said in statement.

Senior Constable Russel Parker said, "they decided to take a swim in the ocean just in waist-deep water and at that point, we believe that a crocodile has taken one of the woman, taken hold of her."

"Her friend tried valiantly to drag her to the shore but unfortunately wasn't able to do so and the woman subsequently disappeared.

"Now her friend raised the alarm with a nearby business and they subsequently contacted the police."

A rescue helicopter was sent up with thermal imaging equipment but was unable to find her.

Parker added that the surviving woman was "very, very shaken and shocked" but appeared to have escaped with only grazes.

Crocodiles are common in Australia's tropical north and they kill an average of two people each year.

Crocodile numbers have increased since the introduction of protection laws in 1971, with estimates putting the Northern Territory's population in the wild at about 100,000.



source:
The Guardian