Police say Sean Cole and a friend had swam across the crocodile-infested Mary River and were swimming back when the 4.7-metre crocodile clamped its jaws around his chest yesterday afternoon as 15 friends watched in horror from the bank.
Northern Territory wildlife ranger Tom Nichols says Cole's body and the dead crocodile floated to the surface early today. The crocodile had been shot by rangers within hours of the attack yesterday night but had sunk before it could be retrieved.