MIRI: Dozens of beachgoers at Pantai Batu 1, Kuala Baram here were jolted from their seaside amusements when a three-metre-long crocodile made a rare and unexpected appearance there yesterday.
Picnickers, sun bathers and swimmers scattered in terror when the giant reptile suddenly emerged from the water at 4.30pm.
Many beachgoers later said that they had spotted the crocodile in the water earlier, but mistook it for a monitor lizard.
Henry John, 23, who witnessed and recorded the event on his mobile phone, said that after ‘lounging’ on the beach for several minutes, the crocodile returned to the water.
Following the reptile’s appearance, the Miri Complaints Community Facebook page was flooded with netizens’ comments expressing worry for the safety of beachgoers in the area.
However, Miri Fire and Rescue Department Chief Law Poh Kiong and a spokesman for the Civil Defence Force said no official reports were lodged on the incident, Bernama reported.