A father was killed by a crocodile while washing in a river at night in Indonesia.

Reza Bontara, 33, waded into the Sungai River in Riau to clean himself after working all day on the evening of June 3.

Unaware that the deadly leviathan was lurking under the surface, he dipped his legs into the cool water - only for the beast to clamp down on his flesh.

Reza screamed for help as the powerful reptile tried to snatch him.

Passer-by Susanto said he was walking along the Pasar Sungai Enok harbourr when he heard Reza's garbled cries nearby. He beamed a flashlight onto the river and found the reptile dragging Reza's body away.

Police and volunteers launched a search after being informed of the crocodile attack.

They rode boats as they combed through the river before locating Reza's corpse some 400 metres (1,300 ft) from where he disappeared. He was found with gruesome lacerations on both legs.

AKBP Farouk Oktora, Indragiri Hilir Police Chief, said: 'The victim has been found and has been handed over to the family.

'The witness shone a flashlight into the river and saw the victim being dragged by a crocodile. He immediately contacted other residents and reported it to the personnel on duty.

'Not long after the victim was found, but he was already dead. The family were not suspicious of his death. They said he often bathed in the river at night.'

Authorities have urged residents to be careful when approaching the river following the incident.

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.