The body of a man found surrounded by crocodiles in a lagoon at a Cancún golf course late last week has been identified as a crafts vendor from Playa del Carmen.

The body was found near the 18th hole of the golf course, which is located in the city’s hotel zone.

Officials have determined that the man drowned after he was dragged into the water by a crocodile.

Video footage of the corpse being eaten by crocodiles later hit social media, and on Saturday family members in nearby Playa del Carmen saw it and identified the victim as a 44-year-old handicrafts vendor.

The newspaper El Universal reported on the weekend that the Nichupté lagoon system is overpopulated by crocodiles, whose habitat has been invaded by humans. This has caused ever-increasing reports of crocodile sightings in residential areas and golf courses located on the lagoon’s shores.

Non-governmental organizations have documented and studied the number of specimens and behaviour of several crocodile species, proposing handling measures and preventive actions that could lead to fewer encounters and attacks between humans and crocodiles.

Source: Noticaribe (sp), El Universal (sp), Tabasco Hoy (sp)