Safari guide dragged into river by 12ft crocodile after it grabs his hand as horrified tourists watch on

16 May 2023, 02:46

Mark Montgomery was attacked by a 12ft crocodile
Mark Montgomery was attacked by a 12ft crocodile. Picture: Alamy/Mark Montgomery/YouTube WildSide Trails & Training

By Emma Soteriou

A safari guide who went to collect water for a group of tourists he was leading was dragged into a river by a 12ft crocodile after it grabbed his hand.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Mark Montgomery, 52, was leading a tour group through the 400-mile Kruger Trail when the attack took place.

He said he had gone to collect water from the river when the crocodile leapt from the murky water.

After his lucky escape, he had to go through three surgeries, with his fractures being fixed with pins and plates and the teeth marks being stitched up.

Listen and subscribe to Unprecedented: Inside Downing Street on Global Player

Mark Montgomery
Mark Montgomery. Picture: Mark Montgomery/YouTube WildSide Trails & Training

Retelling the story on the Wildside Trails & Training YouTube channel, the ranger said the attack was "so quick".

"I didn’t even see it come out the water," Mr Montgomery said.

"I only had time to say 'Oh s***' and I was in its jaws and underwater and being taken down.

"I had managed to pull my hand back as it struck otherwise it would have had my whole arm in its mouth."

He continued: "I put my hand around its neck and tried to poke its eyes and deter him as I was kicking up off the bottom to get to the surface.

"The crocodile started the [death] roll and I was using my right leg to turn with it and at that moment it just let go of my hand and I breached the surface five feet from the bank."

Read more: At least six dead and dozens unaccounted for as fire rips through New Zealand hostel

Read more: Pregnant mother-of-two, 38, dies following M66 crash as driver who caused the accident appears in court

Kruger National Park is home to more than 4000 crocodiles
Kruger National Park is home to more than 4000 crocodiles. Picture: Alamy

Mr Montgomery then grabbed a tree branch and pulled himself to the bank's edge to escape.

He said first-aiders at the camp were able to wash his wounds and get him to a mediclinic at Nelspruit where they carried out the three surgeries.

The ranger was almost at the end of the trip when the horror moment unfolded, with the group of tourists witnessing it up close.

Wayne Stocks, one of the hikers who saw it happen, said: "I just saw this massive head fly out the water very close to my head and it just smashed Mark and it took him.

"I could see his whole body being dragged with his head closer to the surface making a bow wave and it looked like he was holding onto the back of a boat and being towed."

The Kruger National Park is the largest and oldest park in South Africa.

Kruger National Park spokesman Isaac Phaala said: "No matter how many times you have guided this route you respect your territory and remember this is the place wild animals call home.

"We are just glad he did not receive life threatening injuries and survived."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

c

New EPC rules for landlords could lead to higher rents and fewer homes

PM holds 'crisis summit' after Bank of England warning over 'Stagflation'

'Either be disruptors or disrupted': Starmer tells ministers at start of 'crisis summit' after 'Stagflation' warning

Exclusive
Marcelle King

'My face was swelling up like Frankenstein's Monster': LBC uncovers scores of illegal botox products being sold online

President Trump Hosts Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba At The White House

Donald Trump slams brakes on some China tariffs in third trade war U-turn

2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones - Roaming Arrivals

Calls for Kanye West to be removed from X after 'antisemitic rampage' online

Netlifx has hiked its subscription prices without adverts by £2, or 18%, to £12.99 a month for British users.

Netflix hikes prices for Brits after hitting record subscription figures

EL SALVADOR-RELIGION-WELBY

Justin Welby to live at Lambeth Palace despite quitting as archbishop after report into Church safeguarding failures

Retired PC Tim Bradshaw (left) and Andrew Newman, deputy chair of Sussex Police Federation, outside Portsmouth Crown Court

Retired police officer found not guilty after knocking two men off electric motorbike in order to 'protect life'

Detective Sergeant Richard Mills, aged 42, of Rochdale was sentenced to 18 months in prison at Liverpool Crown Court

Police detective jailed for 18 months after two sexual assaults on colleagues in workplace

A music teacher who appeared on a hit Channel 4 show has been accused of sexual assault and making indecent images of children.

Music teacher who appeared in hit Channel 4 show charged with making indecent images of children

Exclusive
A former prisoner who was pregnant while behind bars has called for childbearing women to get more support from the justice system.

‘I cried myself to sleep, covered in blood’: Former prisoner who was pregnant while jailed calls for justice system overhaul

Six-month old Sophia Kelemen was killed by a driverless car in a horror accident on January 2.

Baby girl dies in horror accident after driverless car smashes into pram on family holiday

Mohamed Al-Fayed's brother has denied sexual assault allegations brought forward by three former Harrods employees.

Mohamed Al Fayed's brother 'unequivocally' denies sexual assault allegations by three former Harrods employees

Kanye West, left, and Bianca Censori arrive at the 67th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Kanye West declares he’s a ‘Nazi,’ ‘loves Hitler’ and that he has ‘dominion’ over Bianca Censori in vile rant

A British man found dead with his wife inside their isolated French villa

British couple found dead in French villa named as fears former organised crime financial investigator was 'murdered'

TV chef Gino D'Acampo’s ITV shows have been pulled from schedules

Gino D’Acampo TV shows pulled from schedules amid investigation into ‘sexually inappropriate’ comments