Mom of 3 ‘Dragged’ into River During Crocodile Attack, Half-Eaten Body Found

The half-eaten body of a mother of three was found a day after a crocodile attack.

At around 10:30 a.m. local time on Friday, Sept. 19, the woman, who has been identified as Laxmi Dalei, was catching fish in the Gobari River near Bhitarkanika National Park under the Mahakalapada forest range in Odishi, India, where she was dragged into the water by a crocodile, The New Indian Express reported.

Local forest guards, fire personnel and nearby residents launched a search operation to find the victim, The Times of India reported, and the mutilated remains of Laxmi were recovered on the riverbank a day later, on Saturday, Sept. 20.

According to a witness, locals who saw the attack “raised an alarm and tried to save her,” but they were not successful, The New Indian Express reported.

“The crocodile emerged from nowhere and lunged at her. Before she could react, it dragged her into the water,” Santanu Kumar Dalei, a forest range officer of Mahakalapada, told the Press Trust of India.

Bhitarkanika is a vast saltwater swamp in Odisha that spans around 404 miles across the Brahmani River and Baitarani River deltas. The area is home to 1,826 saltwater crocodiles, according to The Times of India.

“We do not think crocodiles are a risk to public safety if people keep out of the waters, but if people enter the water, their safety cannot be guaranteed,” range officer Santuru told the local outlet.

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Laxmi is reportedly survived by three young daughters and her husband, the Times of India reported.

PEOPLE reached out to the Odeshi Forest Department for comment on Sunday, Sept. 21, but did not recieve and immediate response.