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South African police airlifted a euthanised crocodile believed to have attacked a missing person.
Human remains believed to be of a 59-year-old businessman have been recovered from the crocodile.
Gabriel Batista, a hotel owner, went missing after floodwaters swept him away in the crocodile-infested Komati River.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT: The South African police airlifted a euthanized crocodile from the banks of the Komati River during a search for a missing man. Human remains found in the crocodile's intestines will be DNA tested to confirm identity pic.twitter.com/Bi5JJN8mBR
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 3, 2026
The remains found in the crocodile's intestines will undergo DNA testing, officials said, to confirm the identity of the deceased.
The remains included part of a rib cage, two severed arms, pieces of flesh, and at least six pairs of shoes. Officials also recovered a ring from one of the fingers believed to belong to the missing businessman.
According to a press statement by the South African Police Services (SAPS) on Saturday, a man had been reported missing after his vehicle was found trapped in a low-lying bridge on the Komati River.
After a nearly week-long search, a team consisting of the SAPS Search and Rescue team, NatJoint, local parks board SanParks, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and the Securecon and Port Management Committee located a crocodile they believed had attacked the missing person.
In another statement on Sunday (May 3), the police identified the officer as Captain Johan "Pottie" Potgieter, who conducted the "highly dangerous and complex operation" to access a river bank infested with live crocodiles to find and remove the euthanised reptile.
The Acting National Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, praised the officer for his "extraordinary bravery and selflessness" in the statement.
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