Isma Magongo is lucky to be alive after surviving a vicious crocodile attack that nearly cost him his life The fisherman was washing his hands in the water on Lake Victoria when the reptile ambushed him He furiously fought the marauding crocodile for six hours until rescuers came over to fend off the attacker
Isma Magongo, a 49-year-old fisherman from Kaliro District, has recounted his near-fatal encounter with a crocodile on Dolwe Island, Lake Victoria.
The incident occurred in 2015 when Magongo went to check on a delayed boat carrying fish to Namayingo District. How did Magongo fight back? Daily Monitor records that the harrowing incident occurred as the fisherman washed his hands at the water’s edge.
Without notice, a marauding crocodile viciously attacked and dragged him into the water. Despite his swimming skills and knowledge from other survivors’ stories, Magongo was pulled deeper by the reptile for six agonizing hours. “I managed to jump on its back and it kept rotating around the shallow water,” he recalled. How was Magongo rescued? His ordeal ended when rescue teams arrived, but not before the crocodile had bitten off one of his fingers. Magongo says the reptile severed one of his left fingers as he tried to clutch its mouth, a wound he still carries to date.
The rescue operation involved two boats and long sticks to beat the water until the crocodile released its grip. He was rushed to a health centre and later to Jinja Regional Referral Hospital for treatment. The traumatic experience left him reliant on the support of sympathizers and former employees to care for his family as his businesses suffered
