Giant Crocodile Attacks Teen, Drags Her Underwater While Rafting

A British teen sustained critical injuries after being mauled and dragged underwater by a crocodile while rafting in southern Africa.

Amelie Osborn-Smith, of Hampshire, and her friends were enjoying a whitewater rafting tour in the Zambezi River in Zambia when the incident happened. A giant crocodile attacked Amelie, putting her on a death roll after dragging her into the water. The reptile appeared to be around 10 feet long.

Amelie's father, Brent, said the teen was resting her leg over the side of the raft when the crocodile pounced on her and bit on her calf. It then dragged her into the water, the Guardian reported.

A friend, who was also in the raft, punched the crocodile on its nose until it let go of Amelie. The friend's quick thinking saved the teen's life.

"As soon as it happened the male friend dived under the water and started punching the crocodile furiously. Then others jumped in to help. It was chaos. There was blood and people thrashing everywhere. She is lucky to be alive," one of the teen's friends said.

Amelie was airlifted to a hospital in the capital city of Lusaka, about 240 miles from the rafting area. She sustained severe injuries to her legs, Sky News reported.

"She wasn't actually swimming but just sitting on the boat and the crocodile saw her leg dangling in the water and thought: 'There's lunch,'" Brent said.

The teen's father added that Amelie is in a "pretty bad state at the moment." Her family is trying to get her back to the U.K. for better care as the teen's leg injuries pose a huge risk of infection.

"It's quite a distressing situation," Brent said. "She's been stabilized as best they can but it's still pretty touch and go."

Zambia currently falls under U.K.'s COVID red list and there are extensive travel restrictions to the country, which creates further challenges for the family to get their daughter back home.

Amelie and her friends were reportedly rafting with Bundu Rafting company, based in Livingstone.

The Zambezi River is infested with Nile crocodiles that can grow up to 20 feet. About 200 people are killed by them each year, the National Geography reported.