Boy 'lucky to be alive' after crocodile drags him into river

A boy has managed to fight off a crocodile attack in Zimbabwe.

Mpumelelo Tshuma, 15, was swimming with six friends in the Gwayi River when the crocodile grabbed him by the leg and tried to pull him under the water.

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According to News24, the teen said he "aggressively" fought the huge animal and was given a lifeline by his older brother, Arnold, 17, who threw him a log to cling on to.

His friends then pelted the crocodile with stones and the boy managed to escape.

Eyewitness News reports that the boy, who suffered lacerations to his leg, is now recovering at Mpilo Hospital.

Back in October 2015, a five-year-old girl was snatched from her mother's hand and killed by a crocodile in Harare.

Ruvarashe Matingwina was reportedly holding her mum's hand as they walked over a shallow crossing place at the Nyatsime River in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe.

A crocodile reportedly grabbed hold of the girl's leg, and her mother screamed for help but nothing could be done.