Man goes missing after crocodile attack in Kota Belud

KOTA KINABALU: A man is currently missing after being attacked by a crocodile in the northern Kota Belud district, located approximately 120km away from here.

Yusri Dulpi, a 20-year-old man, was fishing at the Mantanani jetty when the incident occurred on Friday, September 22. It is believed that the reptile lunged at him and pulled him into the water.

The Fire and Rescue Department received a call about the incident at 11.26 pm and immediately initiated a search operation. However, they were unable to find the victim and decided to postpone the search for the night.

On Saturday, September 23, the search operation, involving other rescue agencies such as the police, Civil Defence Force (APM), and Sabah Wildlife Department, resumed at 6.58 am.

The spokesperson for the department stated that the search area has been expanded to a radius of 1km from the riverbank. He also mentioned that updates on the search progress will be provided intermittently.

This is the second crocodile attack to occur within a span of 48 hours in Sabah. On September 20, a 23-year-old oil palm plantation worker was killed by a crocodile in the Lahad Datu district on the east coast.

The attack took place before dawn while four men were trapping crabs in the waters off Kampung Tinagian, Tanjung Labian. The victim was snatched by the crocodile, leaving his three friends helpless and in shock.

The body of the man was discovered at 7.20 am on the beach near an army post in Kampung Tanjung Batu, approximately 5km away from the attack site.