The body of a crocodile attack victim was recovered from a swamp after being mauled to death.

Andika Lakoro, 32, was searching for scrap metals around a wetland when the beast emerged from under thick water lilies and bit him in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, on February 6.

His friends tried to yank him out of the water to save him but the croc clamped down on his legs, taking him with it into the depths.

A search party scoured the area for him or the crocodile but Andika's lifeless body was found dead the next day on February 6.

Footage shows volunteers carrying the remains wrapped in a bag with a bamboo pole. His grieving family screamed as the rescuers arrived with the cadaver.

Palu Search and Rescue Office Head Muhammad Risal said: 'We received a report that a resident had been attacked by a crocodile, and we, search and rescue officers, went straight to the scene.'

The rescue office chief said that Andika was found dead 492ft (150m) from where the crocodile attacked him.

He said: 'He was no longer alive when we found him. We took his body to Kolendale Regional General Hospital, using an ambulance and then handed it over to the family.'

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.

Widespread tin mining has also caused villagers to encroach on the crocodiles' natural habitats, pushing them closer to homes.

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.