A crocodile killed an eight-year-old boy as he swam in a river in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan province, an official said on Friday.

The boy and his little brother were swimming in the river while their father was watching near their house in Kutai Timur district on Wednesday when he was attacked and swallowed by a crocodile, said Mr. Oktavianto, an official at the local search and rescue agency.

His father jumped to help him, but the reptile escaped, Mr. Oktavianto added.

“He chased the crocodile and hit it with bare hands, but he couldn’t keep up,’’ he stated.

Locals caught the six-metre-long crocodile on Thursday and found the intact body of the boy inside it.

A video posted on YouTube showed rescue workers pulling the body out of the crocodile’s stomach, with his family watching and weeping.

The river is known to be a crocodile habitat, said Mr. Oktavianto said.

“But they went to the river often to bathe and get water for cooking,’’ he said.