Police Lowered from Helicopter to Retrieve Remains from Crocodile-Infested River in Mpumalanga

MPUMALANGA, South Africa – In a daring operation along the Komati River, a South African police officer was airlifted and lowered from a helicopter into crocodile-infested waters to secure a reptile suspected of killing a missing businessman.

The dramatic rescue-turned-recovery mission began after a 59-year-old businessman went missing when floodwaters swept away his car. Authorities later found human remains inside the crocodile, believed to be those of the victim.

According to a press statement by the South African Police Service (SAPS), a man had been reported missing after his vehicle was found trapped on a low-lying bridge over the Komati River. Following a nearly week-long search, a team including the SAPS search and rescue unit located a crocodile they believed had attacked the missing person.

Video that has since gone viral on social media showed the acting national commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS) being airlifted along the Komati River in Mpumalanga Province, where he secured and removed a euthanized crocodile from the riverbank. The officer secured the reptile using a rope under extremely dangerous conditions. The crocodile was then safely lifted and relocated, enabling police and experts to recover the remains of the suspected missing person.

The recovered remains—including those found in the intestines of the crocodile—have been taken for DNA analysis to confirm the identity of the deceased.

The operation highlights the dual dangers of extreme weather and wildlife in the region.