Teenager snatched by crocodile while bathing in river near Kuching

KUCHING (March 27): A 15-year-old boy tragically lost his life this afternoon after he was snatched by a crocodile while bathing with his family at a river near Kampung Segobang near here.

The victim has been identified as Christian Kudit Viviana.

According to a spokesperson from the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), a distress call was received at 2.41pm, prompting the immediate activation of a search and rescue (SAR) operation.

Padawan District Police Headquarters representative Insp Welton Ibin, when briefing the media, disclosed that the teenager was bathing in the river with his brothers at the time of the incident.

Their mother was also present at the scene, tending to the family’s laundry by the riverbank.

“An eyewitness saw the victim get attacked by the reptile before he was pulled to the other side of the river,” Welton said.

The ensuing SAR operation involved a coordinated effort between the police, Bomba personnel, and local villagers.

In a heart-wrenching turn of events, it was the victim’s own grandfather who discovered the body at approximately 5.30pm, located about one kilometre downstream from the initial attack site.

Based on eyewitness accounts, the crocodile involved was estimated to be around three metres in length.

While the reptile was known to frequent the waters in that area, witnesses described the sudden nature of the attack as the animal “running amok”.

The victim’s remains have been transported to the hospital for a post-mortem examination, and the SAR operation was officially called off at 5.30pm.