A driver's arm was bitten off by a crocodile after he washed his hand in a zoo pool - without realising it was the beast's enclosure.

Ilham, 49, had dropped off local tourists when he suffered a flat tire and dirtied his hands changing the wheel at the Sinka Zoo in West Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, on June 9.

With oil on his pals, Ilham reached into a nearby pool to rinse off the dirt. However, he screamed in pain when a crocodile leapt from the water and sank its teeth into his elbow.

A second beast then appeared and latched onto his arm. He battled the 16ft long behemoths and eventually broke free - but only because they bit off his arm.

Ilham is now recovering in hospital.

Speaking today in a video from his hospital bed, he said: 'I thought the pool was abandoned, there was a lot of garbage around the pool.'

He said he rushed to wash his hands in the pool. As soon as his hand touched the pool water, a large crocodile pounced on him.

'I was dragged into the pool. I was spun around, until my hand was cut off. At that time I thought I would not survive,' he added.

'The pool was shallow, I could still stand in the pool.'

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Singkawang expressed his condolences for this incident.

Mayor Tjhai Chuie Mie said: 'From this incident, it is hoped that people will be careful when visiting the zoo. Managers are expected to put up a warning sign to remind visitors not to enter areas where there are wild animals.

'We all have to be extra careful, wherever we have to prioritise safety. Do not try to enter areas that already have fences.'

Shocked tourist Mohammed Fery, who had been in the car with Ilham, said: 'The victim was the driver who took me on a tour. He wanted to wash his hands in the pool, but we didn't know that there were crocodiles in the pool.

'I had suggested that he wash his hands in the toilet. But instead, he jumped over the fence and washed his hands in the pool.

'We didn't even know that there were crocodiles in the pond. We didn't see any notice boards or warnings, the pond looked like an empty pond.'

Ilham ran away from the pool covered in blood holding his severed right arm. He was then taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The Head of the South Singkawang Sector Police, Adjunct Commissioner Inayatun Nurhasanah, said today his team was still investigating this case.

He added: 'We will find out if there is a negligence factor from the manager or other things. We are still investigating.'

Nurhasanah said that the zoo manager had told police that the two animals in the enclosure that attacked the driver were estuarine crocodiles.

The horrific attack is not the first time that has happened at Sinka Zoo. Previously, two tigers escaped from their enclosure when it was hit by a landslide in February 2022.

At that time one of the evacuated tigers had to be shot dead. The incident killed a tiger handler.