A schoolboy is missing after he was attacked by a crocodile in Indonesia.

Markes Hasibuan, 10, was playing with his friends in the Sejenuk River in the Kubu Raya Regency on February 18.

The boys had just eaten lunch and were frolicking near the riverbank. However, when Markes dived into the water, a 13ft crocodile suddenly emerged and latched onto his torso.

The horrified children watched as the beast violently swung Markes against the surface of the water, before dragging his limp body further downstream. They ran back to their village to call for help.

IPDA Rachmatul Isani Fachri, local police chief, said a search and rescue (SAR) team was dispatched to find the boy.

He said: 'The victim's friend witnessed the incident where the crocodile appeared holding his body in its mouth. It then dragged him deeper into the river. The SAR team together with local residents are still continuing the search.'

As of February 25, Markes's body has not yet been found.

Aiptu Aide, public relations officer of the regency police, said: 'We urge parents to always supervise their children, especially when they are doing activities around rivers which are crocodile habitats.'

Local media reported it was the second crocodile attack in the area.

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 the creatures closer toward people's 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.