11-Year-Old Girl Wrestles Large Crocodile To Save Friend From Its Jaws, Gouges Reptile's Eyes

An 11-year-old girl wrestled a large crocodile to save her friend while they were swimming in a stream in Sinderela Village, Zimbabwe, on Sunday.

According to local media, Rebecca Munkombwe was getting out of the stream when she heard her friend, nine-year-old Latoya Muwani, screaming for help. She turned back and saw Muwani struggling to stay afloat. She immediately jumped back into the stream to save her friend.

Recalling the incident, Munkombwe said, “We had just left the water when we heard Latoya who was left alone swimming near the neck-deep zone screaming that something was biting her hand. Since I was the eldest among the other seven children, I felt the urge to save her. So, I jumped into the water and swam to where she was struggling to float. She was screaming in pain that something was biting and pulling her under.”

Upon realizing that a crocodile had grabbed her friend, Munkombwe jumped on its back and gouged its eyes.

“I jumped on top of the crocodile and started beating it with my bare hands before using my fingers to poke its eyes until it released her. Once she was free, I swam with her to the banks where the other children pulled her out of the water. The crocodile fortunately did not attack us after it let off Latoya,” she said.

While Munkombwe was not injured in the incident, her friend was rushed to a local hospital with “mild injuries.”