LAWAS, July 29 — It was a cruel twist of fate for a disabled man when he was suddenly dragged into a river by a crocodile while he was fetching some water from it in Kampung Baru Seberang Mission, here today.

Efendi Panil, 45, and his niece had gone to fill some containers with the river water when the reptile struck, said Lawas Fire and Rescue station chief Zaki Hussin.

"Upon seeing her uncle being pulled into the water, his niece immediately called out to her younger brother to get help from the villagers,” he told Bernama today.

Zaki said the station received a call on the incident and its personnel immediately rushed to the scene located 25km away.

"Search and rescue operations are still ongoing and we have widened our search to over a 500-metre radius at the site,” he said. — Bernama