Woman Dragged Away by Crocodile as Friend Tries to Save Her

A woman was dragged away by a crocodile while swimming in Australia on Sunday night despite efforts by a friend to save her from its jaws.

The two women were in shallow water on a remote beach in Daintree National Park in North Queensland around 10:30 p.m. Sunday when the attack occurred, CNN reported. They were in either waist-deep or knee-deep water at the time, based on differing reports from police and paramedics, CBS News reported.

The 46-year-old woman who was taken by the crocodile is still missing. A search and rescue effort resumed on Monday, via helicopter, boat and land, according to CBS. Her friend, 47, was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for shock and a graze to her arm.

A North Queensland member of parliament blamed the women for going to a beach near a popular spot for crocodile-spotting tours.

“This is a tragedy but it was avoidable. You can only get there by ferry, and there are signs there saying watch out for the bloody crocodiles,” Warren Entsch said. “If you go in swimming at 10 o’clock at night, you’re going to get consumed.”