Elizabeth Shintangu, aged 34, was reportedly doing her laundry in the Kavango River near Rundu in the North-East of Namibia, when her husband, Matheus Kativa, who was bathing in the river, began screaming for help.

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Kativa, a 47-year old farmer, said, “Suddenly, I felt as if a car had fallen on top of me.

“I screamed for help, and, the next thing I saw was my wife on top of the reptile, fighting it.

“Then it let go of me, but by that time, my lower arm had been severed.’’

According to regional police commander, Johanna Ngondo, before the couple was able to swim back to the river bank, the crocodile returned and grabbed Kativa again.

“The water was all red with blood, and I saw his face as he waved good-bye,’’ Shintangu said.

Valiantly, Shintangu refused to let go of her husband and pulled him back from the jaws of the crocodile.

However, the Crocodile was resilient and kept fighting back, attacking for the third time.

Fortunately, Shintangu's screams draw the attention of villagers from a nearby village who helped to pull the couple out of the river.

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According to reports, Crocodile and hippopotamus attacks are not unusual in the region where many residents depend on the same infested waters for drinking water, fishing, and other uses.