A teenage boy was mauled to death by a crocodile while fishing with his friend in Indonesia.

The youngster, La Bayu, 17, had set up fish traps in the Kaleleha River in Southeast Sulawesi in the early hours of the morning on June 2.

He and his pal Inggu, 23, then went to nearby woodland to plant coconut trees before returning to the river in the afternoon.

Excited to see their catch, La Bayu eagerly plunged into the water, unaware that a huge crocodile was lurking in wait nearby. The tall teen screamed as the beast bit down on his thin torso.

Inggu said he leapt into the river and tried to grapple with the powerful croc in a desperate attempt to save his friend. However, it shook him off, flinging him around away as it continued thrashing La Bayu around in a gruesome death roll.

A rescue team arrived at the scene at around 8 pm after being notified by the locals. They found the reptile still holding La Bayu's body as it glided underwater.

Chilling footage shows La Bayu's lifeless face visible under the clear surface as the predator clutched him tight in its jaws.

Iptu Thamrin, spokesman for the Central Buton Regency Police, said: 'At 8:20 pm, Mawasangka Police personnel led by Mawasangka Police Chief Iptu Kamaludin arrived at the location and, together with villagers from Poaroha and Terapung, searched for the victim. A total of 100 people were involved in the effort.

'After arriving at the scene, the crocodile was found approximately 50 metres from a bridge, with the victim's right in its mouth.'

Rescue workers and residents used a net to catch the killer croc and collect the victim's butchered corpse.

The boy was reportedly found with severe injuries near his armpit, a fractured right arm, a severed left hand, and a torn waist. His body has been handed over to his family.

Ipda Baharuddin, spokesman for the Muna Police, said: 'We urge residents to be more vigilant and temporarily avoid carrying out activities at the location of the incident for safety.'

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.