A young mother was torn limb from limb by a crocodile while washing her feet in a river in Malaysia.

Norsihela Sayong, 32, had gone to the stretch of water with her family to catch fish for dinner in the village of Tanjung Bulat in Kota Kinabatangan, Sabah, on July 30.

She was about to return home when she paddled in the shallows to wash her feet. Tragically, the massive reptile pounced just yards from the riverbank and dragged her away through the murky muddy water.

As Norsihela thrashed around trying to free herself, her family reportedly tried to wrest her from the hungry croc's jaws but they were easily overpowered due to the sheer size of the beast.

The emergency services were called at 3:40 pm local time to search for the woman but by that time she had been dragged beneath the surface and had disappeared.

Mother-of-one Norsihela's husband Acai joined the search but was devastated when his wife's corpse was recovered.

He paid tribute to his 'soulmate', who he had been married to since June last year.

Acai said: 'I pray that my wife and soulmate is in heaven among the believers and the pious, god willing. Everyone who was kind to Norsihela during her life, god will repay your good deeds with love.

'She has been buried now and is at peace. I am thankful for all the friends, relatives and fire department staff who helped to find her.

'This is a tragedy and Norsihela will be in our hearts forever.'

Nurul Azlan Shah Jamalludin, head of the Kinabatangan City Fire and Rescue Service, said: 'After receiving the report, five rescue members were dispatched to the scene to assist with the search effort.'

Officers eventually found her mutilated body the following day, floating some 800 metres from where the attack happened. Her hands and feet were missing, believed to have been torn off and eaten by the crocodile.

Nurul added: 'The body was found on Sunday at around 8:00 am local time. We retrieved it and turned it over to the police before handing it over to the family.'

Villagers claimed to have previously seen the crocodile lurking around the river before the incident.

Local media reported that wildlife authorities are hunting for the crocodile to catch it and bring it ashore. They believe that trapping it will prevent further attacks.