A villager fought a crocodile with his bare hands to free his son from its jaws, according to state media in Zimbabwe.

The Herald newspaper reported that Tafadzwa Kachere and his 11-year-old son, Tapiwa, were trying to cross a river in the north-eastern district of Mutoko on Christmas Eve when the crocodile attacked the boy. It reported that Kachere jumped on to the crocodile's back and tried to force open its jaws, punching its head and poking its eyes with reeds.

The crocodile released the child and turned on Kachere, who wrested himself free of its grasp. The newspaper said the child lost a leg and his father's arm was severely gored, but both survived.

Crocodile attacks are common in rural Zimbabwe during the rainy season but many go unreported.