Boy, 10, killed by crocodile while playing in river with his friends in Indonesia

• A crocodile dragged 10-year-old Fikri Qurniawansyah from a makeshift canoe in Riau province.
• His body was found days later, with bruises indicating a crocodile attack before drowning.
• Police warned residents to report crocodile sightings, as habitat loss drives them closer to villages.

An Indonesian schoolboy riding a makeshift canoe was dragged off by a crocodile, sparking a desperate search that ended in a tragic discovery.

Fikri Qurniawansyah, 10, was with friends navigating a river in Riau province on March 21.

The group was travelling in a blue barrel that had been fashioned into a canoe when it is believed he reached his hand into the water – and the predator attacked.

His friends tried in vain to hold onto the boy, but the powerful reptile pulled him beneath the surface.

Fikri Qurniawansyah, 10, was killed by a crocodile.

The other children ran back to the village to call for help, and rescue crews immediately began to hunt for the crocodile, eventually catching and killing a suspect animal.

But on slicing open the beast’s stomach, they found no trace of the young boy.

His body was eventually discovered on Tuesday when a farmer named Muhammad Nurdin spotted his remains floating face-down in the river.

He called police and officials retrieved the body, which was later confirmed to be Fikri Qurniawansya.

Local police chief Iptu Kodam Firman Sidabutar said the victim was found with bruises on his body.

“Although no torn wounds were found, the examination revealed multiple bruises, strongly indicating that the victim was likely attacked by a crocodile before drowning.”

Locals caught and killed one crocodile but its stomach was found to be empty when it was slit open. Photo / ViralPress

The police chief warned residents to be careful and not linger along the banks of the river.

“If there are any signs of crocodile sightings, please report them to the authorities immediately so that necessary actions can be taken,” he said.

The Indonesian archipelago is home to 14 types of crocs – with a large population of extremely large and violent estuarine crocodiles that flourish in the region’s climate.

Conservationists believe that crocodiles have been driven further inland, closer to villages because overfishing reduced the crocodiles’ natural food supplies and because development of coastal areas into farms led to habitat loss.

Widespread tin mining has also caused villagers to encroach on the crocodiles’ natural habitats, pushing them closer toward people’s homes.

Croc attack leaves child in coma

The death in Indonesia in the second crocodile attack on a child to hit headlines this week, after a 7-year-old old boy was left in a coma in a South African hospital after losing an arm to a crocodile.

Johandre Blom was in shallow water at the Emanzini Fishing Resort at Roodekoppies Dam on the Crocodile River near Brits, South Africa, when he was attacked last week.

His father wrestled him free from the crocodile but the “monster” animal tore off the boy’s arm, leaving him facing a lengthy recovery.