A missing schoolboy was found dead after a horror crocodile attack in Indonesia.

Mitrah, 12, was in a wooden rowing boat crossing a river with his older sister Nur Hatikah when the vessel sprang a lea.

Nur rowed the boat back to the riverbank to fetch a bucket while the boy stayed behind. However, he was attacked by the reptile lying in wait under the surface.

The beast allegedly pounced on the shocked Mitrah as the boat sank putting him within reach of its powerful jaws. By the time his sister returned, there was only a trail of bubbles in the river to mark his brief struggle with the killer croc.

Nur said she plunged into the water trying to find her younger sibling, then ran to the village for help when she failed to find him in the Kandilo River in Paser on March 31.

Volunteers and the local disaster management agency (BPBD) arrived at the scene after receiving a report at 5:30 pm local time.

Iptu Agus Sanyoto, local police chief, said: 'When the witness returned after getting a bucket, she did not find the victim. She said she saw bubble appearing in the river, which were suspected to have come from the crocodile.'

Rescuers scoured the river for two days before spotting Mitrah's body on April 3, drifting some 150 metres (450 feet) from where he was attacked.

Rescue commander Kiwong said: 'The victim was found in a prone position. There were crocodile bite marks on several parts of the body such as under the nose, chin, and back. But we can assure you, the victim's body is still intact, no body parts are missing.'

Heartbreaking footage shows officers fishing out the boy's corpse from the murky waters. He was returned to his family for a funeral.

The BPBD has urged residents of Suliliran Baru village to be vigilant when doing chores near the river, which is known to be a habitat of estuarine crocodiles. They said to be especially careful in the evening and early morning, when the reptiles are most active.

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.