KOTA KINABALU, Oct 24 — Sabah reported the fourth crocodile attack incident after the body of an estate worker was found near the Maisang Sime Darby plantation in Sukau, Kinabatangan yesterday.

A Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson said Kamirun Malul, 42, was last seen washing his clothes and taking a bath near the riverbank.

"The body was found by villagers at around 3pm, 500 metres from where he was reported to have been attacked by a crocodile.

"After identification by family members, the body was handed over to police for further action,” said the spokesperson.

Following the three earlier attacks, the Sabah Wildlife Department launched an operation and killed five crocodiles in Kota Belud and Lahad Datu.

Its director, Augustine Tuuga, said the rangers were focused on larger crocodiles in specific areas to protect the people living in the Kota Belud, Lahad Datu and Tawau districts.

"We already shot four crocodiles in Kota Belud and one in Lahad Datu,” he said yesterday.

He said the slain crocodiles were not believed to be involved in the attacks but still posed a threat to people in the area.

Shooting of crocodiles is only carried out in areas where they pose a threat to residents.

Yusri Dulpi, 20, is still missing after he was attacked by a crocodile while fishing at a jetty in Mantanani in Kota Belud on September 22.

On October 15 in Lahad Datu, 50-year-old Salim Sakka went missing while mending his fishing net by the river in Kampung Sungai Silabukan.

Four days later in Tawau, a man identified only as Asdar was believed to have been snatched by a crocodile while fishing at a river in Kampung Mas Mas.

Experts have said the increased attacks on humans could be caused by habitat loss as well as dwindling food sources.

The Wildlife Department has also carried out awareness campaigns advising the riverine communities on the dos and don’ts and distributed pamphlets containing precautions in the event of a crocodile encounter.

In an unrelated case, an elderly woman was reported missing in the forest near Kampung Luagan Sanginan, Beaufort on Sunday.

A Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson said a search and rescue team comprising security enforcement personnel and villagers were looking for 88-year-old Komoi Awang. — Borneo Post Online