Angola: Three eaten by crocodile

A woman and two young children were eaten by a crocodile on the banks of River Sendi, Huila, Southern Angola, last week.

The woman and two children aged 3 and 5 were attacked by the crocodile as they were walking along the bank of the River Sendi, 150 km. from Lubango, capital of the province of Huila, southern Angola.

The scene was witnessed by a school teacher who said that the woman, 42 years of age, had gone to fetch some water from the river where she used to wash the family’s clothes. Make the family’s tragedy worse, the two girls were her daughters.

The crocodile has been attacking goats, pigs and oxen drinking at the site in recent weeks. Despite their clumsy appearance, crocodiles can reach speeds of up to 35 km./hour in short bursts on land, a fact unknown to many who allow them to get too close. A favourite ploy by the crocodile is to approach silently, in the water, and suddenly charge up the bank or shore, dragging its prey into the water, where it is torn apart before it is devoured.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.Ru