Woman attacked on Australian creek bank by leaping crocodile

PERTH, Australia – Authorities say a 68-year-old woman is in a stable condition in an Australian hospital after a crocodile lept from a creek and bit off part of her arm.

Government official Peter Carstairs said on Thursday the woman was attacked Wednesday afternoon on a creek bank on the edge of the town of Wyndham in Western Australia state.

Carstairs says the crocodile "launched 2 meters (6 feet, 7 inches) out of the water and grabbed her from behind."

Health official Malcolm Johnston-Leek says the woman had surgery on Thursday at the Royal Darwin Hospital for the loss of the lower half of her right forearm. She had also been treated for bite marks to her left thigh.

Carstairs says the 2.2-meter (7-foot, 3-inch) crocodile responsible for the attack had been killed.