SOUTH SULAWESI, INDONESIA – AUGUST 14, 2025 53-year-old man, identified only as Arifuddin, was attacked by a crocodile while swimming in the Bulete River in the village of Tobarakka. On a hot day, he was swimming there with his son when the crocodile suddenly and unnoticedly struck. As is natural for the predator, it dragged its victim into deep water, performed a so-called death roll, and drowned him. Shocked witnesses could only watch from a nearby bridge, as no one dared approach the crocodile.
His body was eventually recovered from the river, or rather pried from the crocodile’s jaws, in the evening hours after sunset, about two and a half hours later. The victim was taken to a funeral home, where a memorial service will be held. Local authorities warned about the dangers of swimming in rivers inhabited by wild animals.
