Crocodile dragged away a 46yrs old woman after going for a late-night swim with her friend

A woman who is missing after being taken by a crocodile during a late-night swim on Sunday night in far north Queensland, was on holiday with her childhood friend from New Zealand. Cindy Waldron, 46, from in New South Wales, was swimming with her friend, Leeann Mitchell, 47, at Daintree, north of Cairns around 10pm.

The pair had waded in to waist-deep water in an area known to have a high population of crocodiles, and as the woman was
dragged away her friend tried desperately to free her from the creature's clutches.

Ms Waldron, from Lithgow, and Ms Mitchell, from Cairns, were childhood friends from Hamilton, in New Zealand, reported the NZ Herald. 

Ms Mitchell had reportedly recently undergone chemotherapy for cancer.

Ms Mitchell's cousin, Alan Frost, told the NZ Herald that Ms Mitchell was unhurt but in the incident at Thornton Beach, in Daintree. 

He said she was recovering in Mossman Hospital.

'She has got good friends around her,' Mr Frost said. 'Leeann is a really good person, she has some really good support around her.'  

In the meantime, Federal MP Warren Entsch has said the attack must not spark a hysterical debate about crocodile management in his electorate, instead blaming 'human stupidity'. 

You can't legislate against human stupidity,' he told AAP on Monday.

'This is a tragedy but it was avoidable. There are warning signs everywhere up there.' 

Mr Entsch said he feared the attack might spark a reactive debate about how to manage crocodiles, but people must remember the attack happened inside a national park in an area where visitors are warned about the dangers.

'Let's not start vendettas. It's hard enough for some families to make a quid up there in the Daintree, showcasing crocs in their environment,' he said.

'People have to have some level of responsibility for their own actions.'

Earlier Senior Constable Russell Parker revealed details about the struggle which saw the 46-year-old taken away by a crocodile.

'Her 47-year-old friend tried to grab her and drag her to safety and she just wasn't able to do that,' he told ABC radio.

'They had been walking along the beach and they've decided to go for a swim ... (it was) probably a very nice, clear night, but obviously (they) may not have been aware of the dangers.

'We believe they were visiting the area and weren't local to it,' Mr Parker said.

The swimmer's last words before she disappeared were 'a croc's got me', Channel Nine reported. 

The friend then ran to a nearby business to raise the alarm, and was taken to hospital suffering shock and grazes.

Queensland Ambulance service said the woman was extremely traumatised, having watched her friend being pulled out into the ocean.

A search and rescue is currently underway for the missing woman - who is originally from New Zealand - after an extensive search overnight found no trace of the victim. 

If fears about the woman's fate play out, it will be the second fatality involving a crocodile in a fortnight. 

On May 17, Noel Ramage, 72, drowned after a crocodile reportedly overturned the boat he and his mate were in while crabbing near Gunn Point, about 40km northeast of Darwin.

The Victorian man was trapped under the capsized tinnie and drowned while his 72-year-old friend hurled spanners and spark plugs at the croc in a desperate bid to keep it at bay.

The friend was trapped in muddy mangroves for three hours before he was rescued. 



Source: Daily Mail