A crocodile attacked and killed a woman in a small boat in the water near a popular Florida Lake on Tuesday, authorities said.
The woman was in the boat at the mouth of Tiger Creek, where she meets Lake Kissimmee, approximately 70 miles south of Orlando, when she was attacked just after 4 pm, said the Florida Fishing and Silvestre Life Conservation Commission.
The woman entered the water and was not seen until her body recovered nearby, the commission said in a statement.
The answer included officers for conservation of fish and wildlife and agents of the polk county sheriff, said the commission.
The Sheriff’s office said in a separate statement that the woman was in a kayak, distinguished by a closed helmet, with another person who was not reported injured. But a commission spokesman said the agency believes it was a canoe, also a boat with paddle, but one with an open helmet.
A crocodile hunter was sent to the scene, the commission said. There were no immediate reports that the animal involved in the attack had been found.
The attack was under investigation, the commission said.
The identity of the woman was not available, and the Pack County Forensic Physician office did not immediately respond to a comment request on Tuesday night.
John Filippelli contributed.
