Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Woman in serious condition after crocodile attack in Oaxaca

A woman is in serious condition after she was attacked Sunday by a crocodile at a popular lagoon near Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.

Melissa Laurie, 28, and her twin sister Georgia were on a night tour to view the bioluminescence at Manialtepec Lagoon when they went into the water for a swim, the British newspaper the Daily Mail reported on Monday.

But Melissa Laurie was snatched by a crocodile and dragged beneath the surface. After searching frantically for several minutes, Georgia found her sister floating face down in the water. But as she cradled her sister in her arms and began to swim back to the boat, the crocodile attacked again.

Georgia fought it off, punching the reptile until it let go, the newspaper reported.

On Monday, local media reported that Melissa Laurie was in serious condition in a private hospital in Puerto Escondido, but her sister was reported stable.

[wpgmza id=”300″]

Their mother, Sue Laurie of Berkshire, England, told the Mail that Melissa had been put into a medically-induced coma. “Melissa is alive, but we don’t know if her injuries are life-threatening or not.” She said both had suffered terrible bite injuries.

Sean Laurie, the girls’ father, said Georgia was able to save her sister because she is a diver and has lifesaving experience.

He also said they had asked their tour guide if it was to safe to swim, and were assured that it was. Going for a dip in the lagoon is common and indeed, tour guides invite visitors to enjoy the bioluminescence from within the water.

The two young women are in the midst of a backpacking tour around the world. They left the U.K. in March and had planned to return home in November.

With reports from the Daily Mail

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
collection center for donations

Here’s how you can help victims of flooding in central Mexico

1
The recent heavy rains in central Mexico left countless victims homeless and in need of supplies. Collection centers have been set up to receive donations of food, clothing and medicine.
a monarch butterfly rests on a flower

Northern states welcome first waves of migrating monarchs

2
Pollinator gardens and wildlife watering stations have been established in the Tamaulipas municipality of Gómez Farías and the nearby El Cielo Biosphere Ecological Park, a UNESCO-recognized area prized for its biodiversity and ecotourism.
DHS agents

DHS: Mexican cartels offering bounties of up to US $50,000 for attacks on US federal agents

43
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a statement on Tuesday claiming that Mexican criminal networks "have issued explicit instructions to U.S.-based sympathetics, including street gangs in Chicago, to monitor, harass and assassinate federal agents."
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity