A tourist has tragically died after a crocodile attack while on vacation in Mexico.
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The victim, identified as 28-year-old Irving from Mexico City, was attacked at Marina Vallarta Beach near the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa.
The incident unfolded at around 6:30 p.m. local time on Friday, June 26.
Crocodile Attack Leaves Tourist Dead in Mexico
Jamie Yetter and her fiancé, Chris Bury, from Orange County, California, were swimming nearby. They suddenly heard people screaming from the beach.
"We just finished an evening walk ... and we jumped in the pool and from the pool we heard screaming down at the beach," Yetter told NBCLA. "Chris and I are strong swimmers; we're from Southern California [and] ... so we jumped out the pool to see what was going on."
"We thought we saw a guy stuck in a rip current. Chris took off down to the water and I ran right after him."
The couple said they found a kayak and paddled into the water in an attempt to rescue the man.
However, they said there were no oars or rescue equipment available on the beach. This left them "just kind of scrambling" to help.
Witnesses Describe Desperate Rescue Attempt
As they reached the area, Yetter and Bury realized the man was being attacked by what they described as a very large crocodile.
Their rescue attempt quickly became both more difficult and far more dangerous.
"The crocodile had him by the thigh, and he would turn, and the size of this crocodile, I mean, his head was as long as my torso, his tail thicker than my legs. He was just turning him, taking him under," Yetter said.
"He went down, and then, at that point, he stayed down," Bury added. "So I was over top of him, but the water was so murky, and you couldn't even see a foot down."
Bury said that by the time they reached the victim, "it was unfortunately too late."
He described the ordeal as "pretty traumatizing," adding that he remains "consumed with grief and anger" over what happened.
According to reports, Irving's remains were recovered early on Saturday morning, around 12 hours after the attack.
He was reportedly vacationing in Puerto Vallarta with a group of friends at the time of the incident.
