A school boy was killed by a crocodile while playing in a river in Indonesia.

Fikri Qurniawansyah, 10, was riding a makeshift canoe with his friends as the beast stalked them from below the surface in Riau province on March 21.

The youngster was said to have reached down to feel the cool water between his fingers when the massive croc clamped down on his arm.

Fikri screamed for help as the powerful reptile dragged him off his ride - a blue plastic barrel modified into a small boat. His friends clung onto his other arm, trying in vain to wrest him from the predator's grip, but it escaped with the boy in its jaws after the vessel overturned.

They ran back to the village to call for help, and rescue crews immediately launched a search. They killed a crocodile believed to have eaten the missing child but its stomach was empty when they cut it open.

Fikri's lifeless corpse was discovered on Tuesday when farmer named Muhammad Nurdin, 37, spotted a body floating face-down on the river.

The terrified villager called the police, and officials sent a boat to collect the body, which was later confirmed to be the Fikri's.

Local police chief Iptu Kodam Firman Sidabutar said: 'The victim, named Fikri Qurniawansyah, was found by a resident on his way to his farmland. When discovered, the victim was floating with bruises on his body. Preliminary suspicion suggests that he was attacked by a crocodile while playing at the riverbank.

'Although no torn wounds were found, the examination revealed multiple bruises, strongly indicating that the victim was likely attacked by a crocodile before drowning.'

Fikri was believed to have suffered numerous bruises when he was thrashed by the croc in a savage 'death roll'. His body has been handed over to his family for a funeral.

The police chief warned residents to be careful and refrain from staying too long along the riverbanks.

He said: 'If there are any signs of crocodile sightings, please report them to the authorities immediately so that necessary actions can be taken.'

Officials said they were monitoring the area for potential 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.

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