Toddler eaten alive by crocodile while out rowing with father

A one-year-old boy was eaten alive by a crocodile while he was out rowing in a river with his father in Sabah, Malaysia.

The boy's father, Moherat, also received serious injuries in the attack. The pair was out fishing off the coast of Lahad Datu, Sabah, when the incident took place last week.

The 11-foot-long crocodile appeared out of nowhere and lunged at the boy when the father was tying up the boat in a bay on the coast of Borneo. The man tried his best to scare away the reptile but it overpowered him and snatched the boy, writes The Mirror.

"Despite the man's (Moherat) best efforts, he ended up with numerous bite wounds and could not stop his son being dragged underwater," Sumsoa Rashid, head of the Lahad Datu Fire and Rescue Agency, told Yahoo News Australia.

The locals managed to rescue the boy's father who is a Palauh tribesman in his 40s. Later, the crocodile reappeared on the surface with the boy's body in its jaws before disappearing again with the corpse.

A search and rescue operation is still in progress to locate the boy's corpse. The Royal Malaysian Police and marine police have joined the local authorities in the search operation.

"The father suffered serious head and body injuries. His son is still missing...the man has been taken to the Lahad Datu Hospital for medical treatment," said Rashid.

The villagers have been asked to stay away from the river. "We have warned them of the extra dangers at the moment and to be especially careful because the crocodile is likely to be still in the area," he added.

According to locals, the residents rely on the river for their livelihood and food. They have no option but to venture out into its waters for fishing.

Experts believe that the destruction of crocodiles' natural habitat and warmer temperatures are some of the things driving these predators closer to human populations. The best way to avoid an attack is by staying away from areas infested with such reptiles.