Woman swimmer killed by crocodile

A crocodile attacked and killed a young German woman swimming in a waterhole in the Australian Outback.

The attack happened on Tuesday evening after a group of tourists visiting the Kakadu National Park, in the far north of Northern Territory, decided to go swimming. "The sister of the deceased felt something bump her and then saw a large shape which took hold of her sister," Northern Territory Police commander Max Pope said.

The 12ft-long saltwater crocodile only released the woman's body from its jaws when rangers tracked it down early yesterday about a mile from the attack site. "It was harpooned by wildlife officers which caused it to drop the deceased," said Mr Pope. "The crocodile was secured and is now deceased."

The name and other details of the victim have not yet been released by police.

The woman, in her early 20s, was on a group adventure tour of the Outback. The tourists camped near the Sandy billabong (waterhole), which was clearly marked with "crocodile" warning and "swimming prohibited" signs. Police said seven tourists were swimming in the waterhole when the attack occurred at about 11.30pm. "I assume that because of the warm night, the full moon, the billabong would have looked idyllic and may have caused the people to overlook the dangers that lurk there," Mr Pope said.

Fatal crocodile attacks are rare in Australia and the last fatal attack in the Northern Territory was in 1998.