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.”

The tragic boy is believed to have suffered numerous bruises during his thrashing by the deadly crocodile known as a “death roll”.

Fikri’s body has been handed over to his family, and the police chief warned residents to avoid staying too long near the riverbanks.

The police chief added: “If there are any signs of crocodile sightings, please report them to the authorities immediately so that necessary actions can be taken.”

Officials said they were monitoring the area for other potential crocodile attacks.

The Indonesian archipelago is home to 14 types of crocodiles.

There is also a large population of extremely large and violent estuarine crocodiles that are typically found here due to the region’s climate.

Nature experts believe that over time crocodiles have been driven further inland closer to villages due to overfishing and development of coastal areas into farms.

This reduces the crocodiles’ natural food supplies and reduces their habitat space respectively.

Widespread tin mining has also pushed locals closer to crocodile habitats.

The region has seen a rising number of such attacks recently due to these factors.

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