KOTA KINABALU • A Malaysian fisherman stared death in the face but lived to tell the tale when a crocodile attacked him near Banggi Island, off Sabah's northern Kudat district, on Tuesday night.

Mr Nursahim Nusiri, 40, was making his usual fishing rounds at about 9pm when the medium-sized reptile attacked him from behind.

The crocodile caught him in a vice-like grip on his upper torso, but he managed to escape its jaws by beating it repeatedly with his bare hands.

Once Mr Nursahim was free of the crocodile's jaws, he started screaming for help while attempting to climb out of the water.

A few children playing not far away heard his cries and called for other villagers to help.

The villagers reached Mr Nursahim in time to scare the crocodile away before getting him to safety.

Mr Nursahim suffered broken ribs as well as injured lungs. He was immediately taken to a nearby clinic for treatment.

He was later transferred to the Kudat Hospital on mainland Sabah with the assistance of the Malaysian coast guard.

He is reported to be in stable condition.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK