Housewife Kaetek, 59, had been scouring a local lake for snails when the vicious reptile suddenly latched onto her hand and tried tearing off as she was dragged off the boat
Grandmother survives horror crocodile attack by smashing it’s face
A nan whose hand was almost chomped off in a terrifying crocodile attack miraculously survived by smashing the beast in its face.
Housewife Kaetek, 59, was sailing along her local river and scouring for snails to feed to her ducks with when the crocodile suddenly latched onto her hand, dragging her into the water. The horror attack happened in the Aceh province of Indonesida on January 27 – in a body of water often used by the community, including children, for bathing and fishing.
The beast thrashed around violently whilst attempting to tear off her bleeding hand, but the tenacious grandmother managed to scare the crocodile off by repeatedly hitting it in the face with her free hand. It eventually loosened its grip and escaped when the roar of a passing motorboat startled it.
Kaetek was quickly carried to safety and surrounded by locals who helped her get to a local hospital. She was filmed being hauled onto on a makeshift hammock before being put onto a motorcycle sidecar and rushed her to the Singkil Health Centre with a severe wound on her hand.
Speaking from her hospital bed, a shaken Kaetek said: “I was rowing a boat looking for snails and water hyacinths to feed my ducks. When I reached toward the surface of the water to pluck up some river weeds, the crocodile suddenly pounced on my hand. I immediately fell into the river. I screamed for help and tried to fight back while praying. I used my free hand to hit the crocodile’s face.
“Luckily, a motorboat passed by, and the crocodile let me go. I immediately went ashore and residents on the other side of the river helped me. Kaetek received 15 stitches for her injured hand.
Village head Pahrul Raji said residents are now hunting the crocodile as it posed a “serious threat” to the locals living on the riverside.
He said: “This river is used by the community for various activities. We are worried that if there are children bathing in the river, they could be the next victims. Therefore, we ask that this threatening crocodile be immediately captured for the safety of all.”
The Indonesian archipelago is home to 14 types of crocrodile – with a large population of extremely large and violent estuarine reptiles that flourish in the region’s climate. Conservationists believe that crocodiles have been driven further inland closer to villages due to overfishing reducing the crocodiles’ natural food supplies combined with habitat loss from the development of coastal areas into farms.
Locals unaware of the risks have continued using rivers for bathing and primitive fishing.