Australian Soldier Seriously Injured By Crocodile Attack While Swimming In A Fishing Village

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - An Australian soldier suffered severe head and chest injuries after being pounced on by a crocodile in Queensland on the evening of Friday, August 6, local media reported. As reported by Antara, Saturday, August 7, a colleague of the victim who was trying to help him was also injured by the beast's bite. Australian media reported that the two soldiers were swimming near a fishing village on the Cape York Peninsula coast, about 800km north of the city of Cairns. The local flying doctor's service said on Twitter they had evacuated the two soldiers to a hospital in Cairns. in stable condition, the media said.

"Both men were swimming in crocodile-infested waters. One was attacked and his partner was trying to help," ABC broadcaster said, citing Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Mayor Wayne Butcher.

Soldiers who came to help their comrades suffered injuries to their hands and hips, media said. There was no information yet on the fate of the crocodile that attacked them. The defense department told the ABC the two men were army personnel, but did not say whether the two were on duty when the attack occurred. The Queensland Department of the Environment said it would investigate the incident. A new team of wildlife officials was able to reach the remote area on Saturday. According to government data from the Northern Territory, the state with the largest crocodile population in Australia, between 100,000 and 200,000 estuarine crocodiles -- native to northern Australia -- live in Australia.