A woman in Papua New Guinea fought desperately in a tug-of-war with a 10ft crocodile as she tried in vain to save her daughter from its jaws.
The girl was cleaning vegetables with her mother at the edge of a river when the saltwater crocodile lunged at her, clamping its mouth around her body.
Helpless villagers watched as the mother grabbed her daughter's hand and attempted to pull her free of the predator's powerful jaws.
But she lost her grip and the crocodile dived beneath the water, dragging the girl down with it.
"Villagers reported that the crocodile disappeared into the waters, then surfaced again with the girl still trapped in its jaws. It then dived and disappeared," a police spokesman told The National newspaper.
The attack happened on Friday in a village in Gulf Province, a region of mangrove swamps and crocodile-infested rivers on the country's south coast.
Villagers later searched the river and retrieved parts of the girl's body and scraps of her clothing, police said.
Papua New Guinea, like neighbouring Australia, has a plentiful population of saltwater crocodiles, which can reach 20ft in length and weigh more than a tonne.
Their prey includes fish, turtles, wild pigs, other crocodiles and, occasionally, humans.
Tribes in some parts of Papua New Guinea revere crocodiles as gods, and the reptiles often feature prominently in the design of masks and other traditional artifacts.
Special Thanks to the telegraph.co.uk
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