A schoolboy was killed by a ravenous crocodile while swimming in a river with his friends.

Fiki, 10, was splashing around on the riverbank to cool off from the afternoon heat in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, on April 26.

The youngsters laughed as they played along the Sangatta River, unaware that the mammoth beast, its leathery hide camouflaged by the brown-green water, was quickly approaching them.

They screamed when the predator suddenly leapt out of the river and bit Fiki's leg. He was said to have clung for dear life onto a bamboo pole before being yanked into the river in front of shocked villagers.

Police and local rescue teams launched a search after receiving a report at 4:20 pm local time. They scoured the waters and caught a large crocodile suspected of attacking Fiki.

Footage shows volunteers dragging the 16ft creature, tied with ropes, onto land.

Idris Syam, head of the local disaster response team, said: This crocodile is strongly suspected of being the creature that attacked Fiki, a boy who was reported missing while swimming in the Sangatta River on Saturday.'

The search continued into the early hours of April 27, when Fiki's body was found some 650ft (200m) downstream from where he was attacked.

Aurelius Godja, commander of the Sangatta search and rescue (SAR) unit, said: 'We faced significant challenges such as the potential threat of wild animals and unpredictable weather. However, thanks to the hard work and synergy of all SAR elements, the victim was successfully found.

'We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and heartfelt thanks to all SAR personnel, volunteers, and community members who contributed. Hopefully, this incident serves a reminder for all of us to always be vigilant when doing activities in river areas.'

Fiki's body was handed to his family for a funeral.

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.