Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Steven White

Popular beach 'too dangerous' to visit at night after crocodile killed tourist

A tropical tourist beach is deemed too dangerous for visitors after a tourist was savagely killed by a crocodile and night-time swimming is discouraged.

The idyllic Andaman Islands in the Bay Of Bengal in the Indian Ocean lie around 80 miles off the coast of Burma and is part of India.

Each year the place sees thousands of visitors flock to its capital, Port Blair, before heading off island hopping in search of white sands, turquoise seas and turtles.

One popular location is Swaraj, called Havelock until 2018, where one of the islands key attractions at one point was being able to swim with an elephant.

An American tourist was killing while snorkelling in a cove on the popular Number 7 Beach on Swaraj Island [file image] (Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images)

However, its Number 7 Beach has a much more threatening animal living close by.

In April, 2010 a US tourist was killed by a crocodile while swimming in a cove there.

Lauren Failla, 25, had not long finished studying a master's degree in London and was snorkelling with her travel partner, Jito Chadha, one afternoon when the crocodile attacked her.

Nearby Chadha said he "struggled" with the predator to try and save her, but her body was found two days later.

Calls have been made to cull the crocodile population on the Andaman Islands fearing an increase in their numbers [file image] (Edwin Rodriguez Pipicano/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Saltwater crocodiles are known to live in the area among the mangroves and creeks of Andaman Islands.

A report found the attack was considered "extremely unlikely" in that it happened in open waters over a coral reef and away from any mangroves - plus, an attack on that particular beach had not happened before.

Still, crocodile warning signs are located on Swaraj beaches and once the sun begins to dip the local authorities use whistles and shouts for anyone left in the waters to leave the sands due to the danger that the reptiles may pose if they venture out at night.

Signs are placed on the island's beaches warning people of crocodiles (Alan Vernon 2018)

It is not unheard of for the beach to be temporarily shut down following crocodile sightings or even paw prints in the area.

The remote Andaman Islands also include the North Sentinel Island, a place inhabited by the Sentinelese tribe.

The tribe appear to reject any attempts at contact from the outside world and have attacked anyone who comes close to them.

In 2018 an American missionary John Chau was killed, reportedly by arrows fired by the tribe, when he landed on the island wanting to convert its inhabitants to Christianity.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.