A six-year-old boy was attacked by a crocodile in Ixtapa, Guerrero, on Tuesday afternoon and is in serious condition at a local hospital, authorities say. 

The boy and his sister were playing near El Palmar beach when they wandered away from their parents and began exploring an estuary, home to numerous crocodiles that hotel staff routinely feed to entertain tourists. 

Witnesses say that as the boy played near a fenced-off area under a bridge, a female crocodile with young grabbed him by the head, dragged him into the water and tried to drown him for approximately 10 minutes, biting him in the head, arms, chest and legs.

Tourists, a hotel lifeguard and parachutists threw stones at the three-meter-long crocodile, which eventually released the boy. 

While being transferred by ambulance to hospital the child drifted in and out of consciousness, and had to be intubated upon arrival due to the severity of his injuries. 

Source: ABC de Zihuatanejo (sp), El Sol de Acapulco (sp)