South African Police Captain Recalls Helicopter Drop into Crocodile River to Recover Remains

A South African police officer described being lowered from a helicopter into a crocodile-infested river to recover human remains from a suspect reptile.

Captain Johan Potgieter of the national police diving unit captured a 4.5-meter (15-foot), 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) crocodile believed to have eaten a businessman swept away by floodwater in the Komati River last week.

"The crocodile itself was lying on an island... there really was no other way to get to it except from the air," Potgieter told the BBC.

The man's car had stranded on a low bridge during the flooding. Police arrived to find it empty and suspected the current had carried him off.

Drones and helicopters spotted several crocodiles on a small island during the search. Officers shot the suspect animal.

"It turned onto its back and they thought that it was dead. But by the time we went back, it was back onto its right side and it had swum a bit upstream," Potgieter said.

Rocks, hippos and other crocodiles made boat or canoe access too risky, he told the BBC.

"There were other crocodiles next to that one that were probably there because of the blood in the water. But luckily because of the noise of the helicopter and the downdraft blowing around, they moved away and didn't bother me," the veteran officer added.

Potgieter confirmed the crocodile was dead only after being lowered into the river and tying a rope around it. "Then I knew it was 100% dead. Because if it wasn't, it would have definitely attacked me."

He had no way to communicate with the pilot once suspended. "When I was hanging there, there was no way for me to communicate with the pilot. So irrespective of whether I changed my mind and decided not to do it, there was no way that that was going to happen," he said. "I had to stick to the plan and do as we had planned... otherwise things would have gone wrong."

Remains, body parts and shoes turned up inside the crocodile. DNA tests are underway to identify them, Potgieter told News24.

South Africa's acting police chief praised Potgieter's "extraordinary bravery" on Sunday, calling the operation "highly dangerous and complex."

Potgieter, with 38 years in the South African Police Service, called it a first. "This was definitely a first and hopefully it will also be the last time... there's really no way to prepare."

His family was relieved to see him return alive but learned the full danger from online video.

He said the work brings closure to grieving families. "We have a lot of empathy for the families of the victims. They are grieving a loved one. It's never nice losing someone you love and it's even worse if you don't even know where they are or what happened to them. So that is one of our core motivators - to give these families closure so that they can carry on with their lives."