Crocodile attack near Darwin leaves fisherman with serious hand injuries
NT Parks and Wildlife pulled this 4.5-metre crocodile from Darwin Harbour in 2018. Photo: AAP
A 24-year-old man has had surgery after being attacked by a crocodile across the harbour from Darwin on Sunday night.
The man had been fishing at Mandorah about 7pm when the incident occurred.
“We had reports of someone being bitten on the hand by a crocodile,” St John Ambulance spokesman Craig Garraway said.
Mandorah is 5 kilometres west of Darwin by boat, but 120 kilometres by car.
Mr Garraway said paramedics met the man halfway between Mandorah and Royal Darwin Hospital after he was driven by others to Berry Springs.
“We met them at the Berry Springs shop area and a male there [had] quite serious injuries to a hand, where his fingers were quite severely damaged,” he said.
“[He] required surgery last night at the Royal Darwin Hospital. So hopefully he’s recovering well with all his fingers reattached.”
Mr Garraway said he did not know any other details about the crocodile attack, including where it happened, under what circumstances or how large the crocodile was.
An NT Health Department spokesman said the man was in a stable condition after his operation.
Last week, a 23-year-old man in Arnhem Land escaped serious injury after he was grabbed by a 1.8-metre crocodile while fishing on the Glyde River near an outstation south-east of Ramingining.
The man held onto mangroves until the crocodile released him.
He suffered deep lacerations to his upper thigh and required hospitalisation at Nhulunbuy.
