Crocodile handler dies after attack at Papua New Guinea wildlife park

A worker has died after being attacked by a crocodile while feeding it at a wildlife park in Papua New Guinea.

The man was inside a fenced enclosure at Port Moresby's Adventure Park on Saturday when the crocodile seized his legs and dragged him into the water, according to witnesses. He died at 3 Mile General Hospital on Sunday morning.

Footage shared on social media showed the man clinging to the pool's edge as bystanders tried to help, with the crocodile's jaws locked around his legs.

Eyewitness Gibson John told the ABC the man had been offering the crocodile chicken through the fence when it attacked.

He said unarmed security guards could only pass the man an iron rod for protection while waiting for help, and the crocodile held his legs for more than an hour.

"He was in severe pain but he couldn't scream," John told the Australian broadcaster.

"The only thing I could hear him say was, 'I haven't done anything wrong'."

Visitors were evacuated and police shot the crocodile before the man could be freed.

The park, which regularly runs crocodile feeding demonstrations, remains closed until further notice.