An 18ft-long crocodile sparked panic among after it appeared on a beach in the Philippines.

Fishermen were preparing their boats when the huge reptile appears off the coast of Simunul City in Tawi-Tawi province.

Adzar Abdulmuhmin, who lives by the beach, said the saltwater crocodile was slow and almost did not move while the people ran away from it.

He said: "The crocodile looked harmless but it was the biggest crocodile I have ever seen so even I was very afraid."

Terrified residents fled the beach while the fishermen tried to trap the beast using their boats and paddles to prevent it from returning into the water.

They worried that the hungry crocodile would wander near their village and hurt people if they let it go so they tried to catch it instead.

Local officials rushed to the beach bringing long ropes and sticks.

With the help of the fishermen, they wrapped the reptile’s body with a rope. Its huge size made it slower so they were able to secure it easily.

The men carried the giant croc into a truck waiting by the road and it was transported to the city tourism office for rehabilitation.

Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office Ruben Balcorza said the crocodile was removed from the area because it could harm the villagers.

He said: ''We want to ensure the safety of the people living there so the crocodile has to be rehabilitated first.''

The crocodile will be taken care of by the vert at the government facility before it will be released later into the sea away from communities.

In 2017, a 16ft-long crocodile was spotted in the same area by fishermen who thought it was a piece of log until it moved.