A missing farm worker was found half-eaten by a crocodile in a river in Malaysia.

Ridwan Nawir, 50, was setting nets near the KLK Jatika Plantation when he was attacked by the sinister river beast in Kunak town on the east coast of Sabah on September 30.

A friend who saw Ridwan being dragged away called authorities for help.

Kunak Fire and Rescue Department chief Mohammad Omarbatha said rescue teams with the Royal Malaysian police, the Wildlife Department, and local volunteers, searched the river but failed to find Ridwan.

The search was temporarily halted at 4:31pm and resumed at 7am today.

The team found Ridwan's dismembered corpse at around 9:40am, some 2,000 feet from where he was attacked.

Ridwan was said to have been missing a leg, a chunk of his torso, and his head.

Officers collected his remains and handed them over to police for further investigation.

The attack came a few weeks after a Malaysian schoolgirl was dragged away by another crocodile while bathing in a river.

Cicilia Julan Intik, 6, was splashing around in a river on Bintulu Island in the Sarawak region when the reptile snatched her up on September 18.

Wildlife officers said they have found what are believed to be the youngster's remains - including teeth and bones - inside a croc caught from the river on September 27.

Crocodile attacks in Malaysia, especially in the states of Sarawak and Sabah, occur primarily in rivers and coastal areas where saltwater crocodiles are prevalent.

These attacks often involve fishermen, villagers, or tourists near crocodile habitats. Due to the rising human-wildlife conflict, the government has implemented measures like awareness campaigns and occasional culling to manage the crocodile population and reduce attacks.