A British zookeeper is reportedly fighting for her life in Mexico after being rescued from the jaws of a crocodile by her identical twin.
The reptile dragged Melissa Laurie beneath the water as she was swimming in a lagoon with her sister Georgia, who had dived under the surface to search for her when she didn’t reply.
She found her twin floating face-down after several minutes of desperate searching about 10 miles from Puerto Escondido, a surfing resort popular with British holidaymakers.
As she cradled her sister and swam to a boat, the crocodile attacked the 28-year-old again.
Brave Georgia fought off the predator, punching it repeatedly until it let go.
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The twins’ mother Sue Laurie, from Sandhurst, in Berkshire, said both women had terrible bite injuries while Melissa came close to drowning.
“Melissa is alive, but we don’t know if her injuries are life-threatening or not,” she told the Daily Mail.
“She has water on her lungs and she has been coughing up blood. So we don’t know if she has a punctured lung or not.
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“She has been put into a medically induced coma.”
Their father Sean added: “Georgia fought off the crocodile.
“It was only because she is a diver and has life-saving experience that she was able to save her.
“They were swimming after dark in the bioluminescent waters when Georgia heard Melissa cry out.
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“She called for her but she didn’t reply. She could hear other members of the tour group but did not hear anything from her sister.
“So she went under looking for her. She was very brave.
“Georgia had to fight it off. She kept punching it in the head. She suffered lacerations, bite wounds too.”
The sisters had taken a boat trip to the Manialtepec Lagoon, which is a coastal lagoon.
Mr Laurie claims his daughters were assured by their tour company there were no crocodiles in the water.
“The girls asked specifically if it was safe to go swimming and the guide had said it was,” the 63-year-old said.