A father was reportedly killed by a crocodile while fishing with his friends in Indonesia.

Mulyono, 23, cast his line into the Klagulu River to catch fish for dinner in Sorong on May 13 evening.

His friends were busy attaching bait to their fishing rods when they suddenly heard him yowl in pain. When they looked up, they saw a massive crocodile latched onto Mulyono's hand trying to snatch him off the riverbank.

The villager reportedly managed to jerk his hand free, but the reptile then sank its fangs into his leg as he tried to scramble away. He screamed for help but his cries were soon drowned out by the sound of violently splashing water followed by silence.

A search was launched after his friends reported the crocodile attack to authorities.

Monce Brury, head of the Sorong search and rescue office, said: 'We received a report about a resident being attacked by a crocodile while fishing. We are still co-ordinating with the Natural Resource Conservation Center (BKSDA), and a team is already in the field.

'There were four fishermen. They were on the banks of the river and the victim was suddenly attacked by a crocodile.

'After the incident, the remaining three went back to the river after lodging the report, and they found the crocodile still carrying the victim. They chased it and maybe shot it, but the crocodile escaped. Until now, the body has not been found.'

He said six personnel have been deployed with rubber boats and thermal drones to aid in the search.

Mulyono's relative, Hauzin, said the group had been visiting the river for three days to catch shrimp and fish. The incident had unfolded at around 8:30 pm after evening prayers, when the reptiles are most active.

Hauzin said: 'The witnesses saw him being attacked twice. First, the crocodile bit his hand but managed to escape. When he tried to find a grip on land, the crocodile attacked his leg and dragged him into the water. The last thing they saw was his hand as they heard him scream for help.

'His wife was very shocked upon hearing the news. She and Mulyono's parents were at home. The parents were also shocked, and they fainted and had to be given an IV.'

Officials said the search was still ongoing as Mulyono's body has not yet been found.

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.