Boy, 10, killed by crocodile while playing in river with his friends after beast dragged him off raft

A SCHOOL boy was brutally mauled to death by a crocodile while playing in a river with pals.

Fikri Qurniawansyah, 10, was riding a makeshift canoe with mates when the deadly reptile pounced on them in Riau province, Indonesia.

The youngster is believed to have put his hand in the water before the predator chomped down on his arm.

Fikri screamed in pain before the massive crocodile pulled him off his boat - a blue barrel converted into a small canoe.

Desperate pals clung onto his other arm, trying to wrestle him back to safety.

But the predator's grip prevailed - leaving the animal to escape with the boy in its jaws after the vessel overturned.

His friends got out of the water and ran back to the village to get help.

Rescue crews immediately scrambled to launch a search.

The team found and killed a crocodile they believed to have been the culprit.

But when they opened up its stomach, the boy was not found inside.

Fikri's lifeless corpse was found on Tuesday when a farmer named Muhammad Nurdin, 37, spotted the boy's body floating face-down in the river.

The terrified villager called the police, and officials sent a boat to collect the the corpse, which was later confirmed to be Fikri's.

Local police chief Iptu Kodam Firman Sidabutar said: "The victim, named Fikri Qurniawansyah, was found by a resident on his way to his farmland.

"When discovered, the victim was floating with bruises on his body.

"Preliminary suspicion suggests that he was attacked by a crocodile while playing at the riverbank."

The officer added: "Although no torn wounds were found, the examination revealed multiple bruises, strongly indicating that the victim was likely attacked by a crocodile before drowning."

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