Crocodile numbers in Australia have grown to around 70,000, up from 3,000 some 30 years ago
A 11-year-old boy was eaten alive by a crocodile in Papua New Guinea Reuters

An 11-year-old boy has been eaten alive by a huge crocodile in Papua New Guinea.

The boy, named as Melas Mero, was fishing with his parents on the Siloura River in Gulf province when he was grabbed by the four-metre (13ft) reptile.

Police commander Lincoln Gerari told the National newspaper: "The crocodile swept the boy with its tail and then attacked the defenceless child."

Officers found two hands, two legs and a hipbone inside the crocodile after they found and killed it. The boy's head was discovered nearby.

It was the second crocodile killing to happen this year in Papua New Guinea, according to a global database at the Charles Darwin University in Australia.

An unnamed man was killed in January by a saltwater crocodile at Rawa Bay in North Bougainville.

A total of 75 crocodile attacks, of which 63 were fatal, have been listed in the database since 1958.