A mother was killed after being attacked by a crocodile while working on a palm oil plantation in Indonesia.

Arma Iyah, 44, was doing maintenance work at the estate, owned by PT Berkat Nabati Sejahtera (BNS), in Air Hitam Besar Village, Kendawangan District, Ketapang, on December 5 morning.

The reptile pounced on her and ripped off her right arm as she tried to fight back. The beast then took a bit from her right thigh as it dragged her below the surface.

Arma was later found dead by concerned colleagues who had witnessed her dragged away by the crocodile.

Ketapang Police Chief, AKBP Setiadi, confirmed the incident through Kendawangan Police Chief, IPTU Bagus Tri Baskoro.

IPTU Bagus said a colleague who witnessed the attack reported that Arma spotted the beast near their work area. She immediately told her co-worker to run.

The officer added: 'Both of them immediately ran but apparently the crocodile chased the victim and managed to pounce on the victim's left hand which then dragged the victim towards the ditch next to the garden area.

'There was a tug of war between witnesses to try to save the victim from the crocodile's bite.'

Authorities said Arma was missing for around 90 minutes. During the search, the PT BNS team and locals, using a boat, found the crocodile and recovered her body.

The police added: 'After being successfully evacuated into an ambulance, an examination was carried out by the PT BNS company doctor, where the victim was declared dead with a broken left arm (crushed) and a bite on the right arm.'

They have urged the community to be cautious and avoid activities in areas near rivers, which are prone to crocodile attacks.

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.

Conservationists believe that crocodiles have been driven further inland closer to villages due to overfishing reducing the crocodiles' natural food supplies combined with habitat loss from the development of coastal areas into farms.

With uneducated locals in the developing country still using rivers for bathing and primitive fishing, the deadly combination of factors has led to rising numbers of crocodile attacks.