An Australian soldier was nearly chewed to death after a crocodile attacked him during a swimming session in "croc-infested" saltwater in Queensland, in the country's north, near a coastal fishing village, CBS News reported.
Luckily, the soldier was not alone and a friend from the military quickly jumped into the water to defend his combat mate from the sharp-toothed reptilian aggressor, which was reported to be at least 8 feet (or 2.44 metres) long. Both servicemen managed to escape from the water and the jaws of the reptile with their lives, although the first soldier suffered numerous injuries to his head, chest and arms.
If his woes with the crocodile were not enough, the two reportedly then had to travel some 500 miles (approx. 800 kilometres) to a hospital in Cairns via boat, helicopter and an airplane to patch themselves up. Both soldiers survived the ordeal even though a Queensland Ambulance Service doctor told local media they might have been not so lucky.
"He wouldn’t have wanted it any bigger; put it that way. I think he’s very lucky to be alive and here today to tell the story", Denis O’Sullivan at the Queensland Ambulance Service said.