A 13-year-old boy drowned on Monday after he was believed to have been attacked by a crocodile while playing with a friend at the riverbank of Sungai Kawi near here.

Bitangor Fire and Rescue chief Nicholas Belulin said there were injuries to the legs of the victim, known as Adrian Tan, believed to be crocodile bite marks.

According to him, the victim's body was found by a group of villagers who carried out a search and rescue operation following the 6.45pm incident.

"The victim was found 500 metres from where he was attacked at 7.10pm. According to the victims friend, Adrian suddenly fell into the river as if he was being dragged by something in the water," he said.

He said the victim's family had requested for the body to be taken to the family residence for prayers and that they just needed a confirmation of the death in the police report.

The victim's family had also requested that no post-mortem to be conducted, as they believed that the cause of death was the result of a crocodile attack.

- BERNAMA