Zaini, who works as a sago plantation laborer, was last seen on Sunday on the banks of the Mukun river, tying sago stalks to a raft to bring to the factory.

“According to the other laborers, he just suddenly disappeared from the raft,” Mekar Sari village head Herman said on Wednesday.

Residents were not sure about what happened to Zaini until they saw a large crocodile biting a human leg on Monday. “Residents then started to search around the mouth of the river and also asked for help from a crocodile handler from Kepau Baru village,” Herman said. “On Tuesday morning, the victim’s body was found on top of mud on the river bank.”

He added that some of the body parts were missing. “Both hands were gone, and the left leg was gone up to the knee,” he said. 

This is the third crocodile attack to occur in Meranti regency this year. In April, another sago laborer named Hongkiat, 18, was killed by a crocodile in Kepau Baru village. 

In May, two residents of Sungai Tohor village were attacked by crocodiles on the same day in two different locations. Pian, 39, and Sahan, 41, were badly injured but survived.

“Right now residents are afraid of conducting activities in the river, even though most of them are sago plantation laborers,” Herman said.

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