Search on for girl attacked by croc in Palawan

Local search and rescue teams are continuously scouring a river and nearby seas in Balabac town in Palawan in an attempt to locate the 12-year-old girl who was reportedly attacked by a crocodile.

Superintendent Imelda Tolentino, spokesperson of the MIMAROPA (Mindoro Oriental and Occidental, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) regional police, said the local search and rescue teams were already reinforced by personnel from the police’s Maritime Group and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to expedite the search for Esnida Laja.

“The incident was witnessed by the victim’s two younger sisters aged five and six,” said Tolentino.

Quoting what the two witnesses told police, Tolentino said the three siblings left their home around 3 p.m. on Friday to fetch water from a swamp near their home in Sitio Tukanigalo in Barangay Catagupan.

It was the victim who crossed the bamboo bridge leading to the swamp while her two sisters were instructed to wait for her at the riverbank.

While crossing the bridge, Tolentino said a crocodile suddenly appeared and attacked Laja.

“The crocodile allegedly hit the victim in the head and pulled her away. The victim is missing until this time,” said Tolentino.

The incident was only reported to the local police the following day, said Tolentino.

Police suspect that the attacker was a saltwater crocodile, a species known to live in the southernmost part of Palawan, particularly in the town Bataraza and the island town of Balabac.