| Azaraimy HH |
THE Fire and Rescue Department has launched a search operation along the Tutong River, to locate a man who is believed to have been snatched by a crocodile.
The department received a distress call at around 9.25am yesterday, and several personnel were rushed to the scene in the Ulu Tutong area of Kampong Sengkuang Benutan.
The Royal Police Force (RBPF) said that the attack on 47-year-old Hizam bin Kanah occurred at 6.30am yesterday, and that the rogue crocodile has since been seen lurking in the upstream parts of the river.
The police are reminding members of the public to exercise extra caution when venturing into areas and waterways with a dense crocodile population.
Brunei is home to three crocodile species, but reports of attacks on humans are rare. Although not listed among the country’s protected species, many of the reptiles still roam the Brunei coastal areas and swamps.
Photo circulated via Whatsapp shows rescue workers and members of the public at the scene.
Last year, a crocodile claimed the life of a primary school pupil in Kampong Sungai Teraban, Belait, while he and his siblings went fishing behind their house.
In 2009, a four-year old boy was snatched while bathing with his family in the river across their house in Tutong District. A large crocodile was caught a day later, but an examination of its stomach contents revealed that it was not the same one which had attacked the boy.
In the same year, a 41-year-old man went missing after he was dragged by a crocodile in the Tanjong Panjang River, Belait.
Earlier this year, farmers at Kampong Bekiau, Tutong, caught one of several crocodiles which were preying on their buffaloes.
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