KUCHING, Aug 11 — A 78-year-old woman was killed after it was believed that she was snatched from her boat by a crocodile while out looking for river snails with her daughter near Jambatan Suai in Batu Niah, Miri on Tuesday.
The victim has been identified as Sambai Anggah.
According to the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), Sambai and her 31-year-old daughter were searching for snails around a tributary connected to Sungai Suai when the incident occurred.
Her daughter, who was in the river about one metre away, witnessed the crocodile snare Sambai from the boat.
“The crocodile then dragged the victim about 10 metres away from the boat before releasing her after villagers surrounded it,” Bomba said in a statement.
Villagers later found Sambai’s body floating in the river before recovering it and taking it to a nearby wharf.
Bomba received the emergency call at 11.26am and dispatched five personnel from the Batu Niah fire station to the scene, located at a junction before Suai Bridge.
The team arrived at 11.58am and carried out monitoring at the scene, which was subsequently declared safe and under control.
The victim’s body was handed over to the police for further action before the operation ended at 1.45pm. — The Borneo Post
