Mom of 3 Was ‘Dragged’ into a River During a Crocodile Attack. A Day Later, Her Half-Eaten and Mutilated Body Was Found

The half-eaten body of a mother of three was found a day after a crocodile attack.

Around 10:30 a.m. local time on Friday, Sept. 19, the woman, identified as Laxmi Dalei, was catching fish in the Gobari River near Bhitarkanika National Park in the Mahakalapada forest range in Odisha, India, when a crocodile dragged her into the water, The New Indian Express reported.

Local forest guards, fire personnel, and nearby residents started a search operation to find her, The Times of India reported. Laxmi’s mutilated remains were recovered on the riverbank a day later, on Saturday, Sept. 20.

According to a witness, locals who saw the attack “raised an alarm and tried to save her,” but they were not successful, The New Indian Express reported.

“The crocodile emerged from nowhere and lunged at her. Before she could react, it dragged her into the water,” Santanu Kumar Dalei, a forest range officer of Mahakalapada, told the Press Trust of India.

Bhitarkanika is a large saltwater swamp in Odisha that stretches across the Brahmani River and Baitarani River deltas. The area is home to 1,826 saltwater crocodiles, according to The Times of India.

“We do not think crocodiles are a risk to public safety if people stay out of the waters, but if people enter the water, their safety cannot be guaranteed,” range officer Santuru told the local outlet.

Laxmi is survived by her husband and three young daughters, The Times of India reported.

PEOPLE reached out to the Odisha Forest Department for comment on Sunday, Sept. 21, but did not receive an immediate response.