The British woman who saved her twin sister from a crocodile attack in Mexico has described how she punched the animal on its nose as it tried to death roll her.
Georgia Laurie recounted the moment she realised her sister had not swum to safety and the animal “took her under”, in Manialtepec Lagoon on 6 June.
The 28-year-old told ITV News she and their two friends called Melissa’s name but there was no response and then she saw her floating in the water.
Georgia said: “I jumped into action with my rescue training that I remember and dragged her body towards me and laid her on my chest and tried to revive her and she started going into a fit.”
She said the crocodile returned a second and third time to attack her sister again and it was on the third occasion that she was injured herself.
Georgia said she had to punch the animal on its nose to “beat it off” as it tried to death roll Melissa and drag her away.
When asked if her sister was aware of what was happening to her, she said: “She remembers feeling like she was going to drown, and also she said she felt like her arm was ripped off.
“And the only other thing she remembers is me singing to her on the boat – so that’s a really nice comforting thing.”
Both of the twins were taken to hospital in Mexico, where Melissa was placed in an induced coma and developed sepsis as a result of her injuries.
She is now awake and making a good recovery.
Georgia said: “She’s now on fluids and she’s going to be taking solids soon, after that I think she will have the bags removed from her stomach that have been draining everything out.
“They found a lot debris, a lot of mud and grass in her body from the water she took in and also from the puncture wounds from the crocodile – so hopefully that’s within the next three or four days.
“We’ve also got to monitor the fracture in her arm and monitor her walking as she sustained a lot of wounds to her legs.”
Georgie and Melissa have been travelling around the world and were in Mexico doing some volunteer work.