Rescue teams have caught a 16ft long crocodile that killed a teenager bathing in a river in Indonesia.

The beast was captured in the Benggaulu River in West Sulawesi province, on December 14, two days after it had savaged An Sinar, 16, while she was taking a dip in the water.

Rescue teams dragged the crocodile ashore and tied it down with ropes before it was taken away in a truck. Villagers had to be kept back from attacking the reptile.

Tragically, An's body was found around five hours later eight miles downstream from where the attack happened. She was covered in bite marks from the croc's teeth and her limbs had been severed.

Local government chief Wayan Sunia said: 'The body was found around 10.30 am. The location of the discovery was eight miles from the location where the victim was attacked by a crocodile.

'The victim had crocodile lacerations in several parts of the body including on her calves, stomach, and waist.

'The body was handed over to the family for immediate burial.'

An had been bathing in the river outside her home in Central Mamuju Regency when the attack happened on Monday at around 5pm local time. She was with her mother just a short walk from the family home in the village of Karossa when the reptile pounced on the girl.

An's mother said she screamed and tried to grab her daughter while she was thrashed around in the water by the croc. However, the strength of the animal allowed it to drag her away and sink into the depth.

Search and rescue teams arrived shortly before nightfall but there was no sign of the schoolgirl anywhere along the river banks. They began trawling the river at first light.

Rezky Ilhamsyah, Coordinator of the Data and Information Center for the Central Mamuju Regional Disaster Management Agency, said: 'Based on the testimony of the witnesses, the victim was taking a bath with her mother. The crocodile suddenly appeared and pounced on the victim.

'We don't know how big the size of the crocodile was. Residents say it happened very quickly. It had the girl in its jaws and pulled her away. She is small and light so was easily overpowered.'

In August this year, teenager Farjan Idham, 15, was decapitated by a savage killer crocodile while he was fishing with friends in a volcanic lake in Ternate City, North Maluku, Indonesia.

While on December 1 in neighbouring Malaysia, a one-year-old boy was eaten alive and his father seriously injured by a crocodile while they were rowing on a river in Lahad Datu in Sabah.

The Indonesian archipelago is home to 14 types of crocs - with a large population of extremely large and violent estuarine crocodiles that flourish in the region's climate which provides them with abundant food.

Conservation officials blame habitat degradation due to blast fishing and the conversion of coastal areas into farms for driving the creatures out of the wild and closer to villages.

With locals in the developing country still using rivers for bathing and primitive fishing, the combination of factors has caused a 'perfect storm' and lead to rising numbers of crocodile attacks on humans.