A father was attacked by a 15ft crocodile while performing ritual Islamic bathing in a river in Indonesia.

Samsul, 46, was cleansing his body as he prepared to lead the evening prayers in a village in Central Kalimantan in the predominantly Muslim country on May 3.

He was scooping up some water to perform the ablutions when the massive beast leapt out from under the surface and sank its fangs into his arm.

Samsul's terrified wife screamed as he tried to fend off the predator with his free hand. Neighbours hearing the couple's cries for help soon arrived and managed to pry the villager from the reptile's grip before it could drag him away.

Footage shows Samsul bleeding from the gruesome bites that left him with deep arm wounds. The croc's fangs had narrowly missed major blood vessels in his wrist.

He was rushed to the Bagendang Health Center and was given 15 stitches.

Muslih, a local district chief, said: 'The victim was attacked by the crocodile on his arm while performing ablutions to perform the Isha evening prayer earlier on the raft near the stairs of his house. Thank God he was saved.

'His wife screamed for help and was immediately helped by residents to lift him up a ladder to safety. He was immediately rushed to the Bagendang Health Center and received around 15 stitches. He has now returned to his home in Bagendang Tengah Village.'

Authorities advised residents to be more vigilant around riverbanks, especially at night and dawn when the crocodiles 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.