British teenager attacked by crocodile while rafting in Zambia

A British teenager has been attacked by a crocodile while in Zambia travelling with friends.

According to reports, A British teenager has been attacked by a crocodile while in Zambia travelling with friends.

Amelie Osborn-Smith, 18, from Hampshire was travelling with friends on a gap year and was white-water rafting on the Zambezi River near the famous Victoria Falls.

Amelie was said to have been resting her leg over the side of the boat when the crocodile bit her and dragged her into the water.

A friend reportedly saved her by punching the croc on the nose, and other rafters and guides reportedly also got into the water to fight off the huge 10ft animal.

Amelie was then airlifted to a hospital in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, which is about 240 miles away.

She is now being treated for serious leg injuries.

Amelie’s father, a former army officer, told MailOnline: “She’s a very sensible girl, but on this occasion, she was being guided by the rafting company and it was on their advice.”

“She wasn’t actually swimming but just sitting on the boat and the crocodile saw her leg dangling in the water and the crocodile clamped its jaws onto her leg and dragged her under the water.”

“Obviously with a crocodile bite there’s a huge risk of infection and she’s got a very severely damaged leg.”

“It’s quite a distressing situation.”

“She has been stabilised as best they can but it’s still pretty touch-and-go and we’re trying to arrange appropriate consultants here.”

“The other issue is that Zambia is now on the (UK government’s) COVID red list, so there are various hoops which need to be stepped through quite carefully.”

The Zambezi River is popular for water sports, however, it is also home to various potentially dangerous animals, including crocs.

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