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Hundreds of crocodiles have been beaten to death by a mob of angry villagers after a local was apparently eaten by one of the reptiles.

The crocodiles were living in a lake in a property owned by businessman Sorong Regency in West Papau, Indonesia, and were blamed for the death of a villager on Friday.

The angry locals stormed his property to take their cruel revenge on the animals on Saturday.

A video shows the bloodthirsty mob dragging two-metre long crocodiles from the water before beating them to death with picks and other tools.

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Police officers arrived, but were unable to control the murderous frenzy and were left to watch as the pile of bodies grew larger.

An eyewitness put the number of dead crocodiles at 292.

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Local resident Enos Barmala told reporters that the "spontaneous action" was in revenge for the loss of a member of their community to a crocodile.

However, it is not clear whether one of the massacred captive crocodiles was responsible for the death, or whether it was a wild animal which was the true culprit.