Croc leaves only girl's head

2006-11-02 14:32

Manila - A nine-year-old girl was killed by a crocodile as she crossed a shallow river in the western Philippines, her father and neighbours said on Thursday.

The girl and her 11-year-old brother were crossing the knee-deep river in remote Rizal town, in Palawan province, late on Tuesday, when the brother suddenly heard her shout for help, said farmer Jaime Crisostomo, the children's father. She was quickly dragged underwater.

"Her brother then started shouting for help because there were people on the other side of the river, who got him and put him on a raft," Crisostomo said by telephone, adding that the siblings were walking home after watching television at a friend's house.

After searching for the girl overnight, relatives found only her severed head on Wednesday, about 500 metres from the attack site.

Grieving family and friends buried her on Thursday, neighbour Joan Gaspar said. She appealed to local officials to help search for the crocodile.

Crisostomo said his daughter was the first known human victim of a crocodile attack in the area, although crocodiles have attacked farm animals in the area in the past.

Rizal is about 720km southwest of Manila on Palawan, which is sometimes called the country's last ecological frontier for its unspoiled environment, rich marine life and forest cover.

- AP