crocodile

THIS is the chilling moment a woman was dragged down a river between the jaws of a crocodile.

Footage of the sinister creature was caught by witnesses after 57-year-old Soudamini Mahala was snapped up as she bathed in the Kharastrota River in India.

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The huge reptile can be seen swimming through the water with Mahala’s lifeless body in its mouth.

The shouts of shocked villagers were shouting in surprise in the background audio of the video.

Despite cries for help, nobody was able to reach her in time.

Witnesses said the crocodile lunged at the unsuspecting woman and pulled her into the water before anyone could react.

Locals rushed to the river, too late to save the victim from the crocodile’s death grip.

The ordeal took place in Kantia village, in the Jajpur district Odisha, in eastern India.

“The woman was taking a bath in the Kharasrota river around 4pm on Monday,” a police spokesperson said.

“A crocodile dragged her into the high stream of the river.

“Villagers present on the riverbank tried to chase the reptile but failed to rescue her,” they added.

Emergency services rushed to the river after being alerted to the attack and have since launched a search operation to recover Mahala’s body.

Eyewitness Naba Kidhore Mahala said villagers had jumped in to try and save Mahala.

“As we noticed that the crocodile was dragging the woman into the river, we jumped to rescue her,” he said.

“All our efforts went in vain.”

The tragic crocodile attack comes just days after a camper was found dead after sending his family photos of a bear.

The man’s body was discovered with extensive wounds two days after snapping pics of the forest giant.

Family of the unidentified camper raised the alarm after he went radio silent from Sam’s Throne Campground in Arkansas.

The 60-year-old from Missouri was found several yards from the campsite on October 2 after his son requested a welfare check as he had not heard from him “for a couple of days”.

The Newton County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that he had been dragged from the campsite which has been “disturbed” and where officers found “evidence of a struggle and injury”.

“There were also drag marks leading from the campground into the woods,” the release added.

While officials await autopsy results to confirm the cause of death, they said his body had “extensive injuries consistent with those expected from a large carnivore attack”.

This is in line with pictures he sent his family just days before his body was found showing a “young male bear” near his campsite on September 30.

“Until the Arkansas Crime Lab completes the autopsy, we can’t 100% say it was a bear, but everything strongly indicates it,” Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said.

“We are attempting to find the bear and dispose of it so the Game and Fish Commission can test it for anything that may have led to the encounter.

“We know without a doubt that a bear was in camp with our victim and the injuries absolutely are consistent with a bear attack.

“This is a highly unusual case. We are very early in the investigation and search and will update as we can.

“If you are in the area, just be aware and use caution, especially with children,” he added.

“History tells us that once a bear becomes predatory, it often continues those behaviors.”

As the hunt for the bear continues, the Sam’s Throne Campground has been shutdown to the public.

The camper’s death, if confirmed to be caused by a bear, will be the state’s second fatal bear attack in one month, which is highly unusual.

A MAJOR update in the hunt for a missing British hiker has come just a week after the search kicked off.

British tourist Elaine McSorley vanished after embarking on a self-guided hike from her South African hotel last week.

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But the search for the missing 71-year-old has been called off with no trace of her, according to local media outlet The Witness,

The major update comes after Elaine was reported missing on Saturday, September 27.

After an extensive six day search undertaken by local police, search and rescue teams, K9 units, and volunteers from security companies, local communities, the Community Policing Forum (South Africa’s neighbourhood watch), and nearby game reserves, the search has come to an end.

Investigators used all means possible, with drones, helicopters and fixed-wing aircrafts in an attempt to find the missing woman.

Despite the extensive efforts, no trace of Elaine has been found.

South African police said the investigation will continue, with hopes of narrowing down to a smaller search area.

She had set out with her husband Leon, 81, to hike from the Ghost Mountain Inn and Safari Lodge in eMkhuze.

Leon had turned back earlier due to the heat, while Elaine continued walking to a lake.

Leon raised the alarm three hours later when she later failed to return.

He has since checked out of the Ghost Mountain Inn and police do not know where he is.

Police said earlier in the week that they suspect a crocodile took Elaine, or foul play — but have no evidence of either.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza said: “The British couple checked into the Ghost Mountain Inn at 1pm and went for a walk at 2pm.

“According to the husband, during the walk to the lake, he decided to turn back and returned to the hotel, but when she did not return, he raised the alarm.

“We have been searching day and night but there is no sign of her. It is like she has vanished into thin air. The dogs have picked up no traces either.

“If she had simply collapsed and died we would have found her by now. There are theories as to what happened but I am not going to speculate.”

A police forum member said: “We’re starting to look at whether she was dev­oured.

“There’s no sign of crime.”

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Elaine’s disappearance comes after a fisherman disappeared while trying to catch sardines.

Fears the man had been taken by sharks surfaced after friends of the missing 37-year-old rushed to the spot where he vanished – but retreated when the fins of two other beasts suspected to be Bronze Whalers headed for them.

The horror attack on July 6 happened on a beach popular with divers and surfers at Mfazazana, Kwa-Zulu Natal province, 60 miles south of Durban.

A National Sea Rescue Institute spokesman confirmed that a 37-year-old local man had been reported missing “following a shark incident that involved 3 local fishermen”.

They said: “We and the SA police and the Water Policing and Diving Services unit were told a man disappeared under the water after a shark surfaced where he was netting.

“It appears that at least one friend attempted to intervene but it is believed that he was confronted by at least 2 sharks in the surf and he retreated to the shoreline.

“It is believed the sharks were feeding on a school of sardines at the time. A large scale search is underway but so far no sign of the missing man has been found”.

In the last 25 years, 37 people have been killed by sharks off the coast of South Africa – with the last being restaurateur Kimon Bisogno, 39, in September 2022.