A 28-year-old man was fatally attacked by a crocodile on a beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday evening, according to local authorities and witnesses. The incident took place around 6:30 p.m. at Marina Vallarta Beach, near the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa, a popular area for both tourists and locals.

Jalisco state police identified the victim as a Mexican national in his late twenties who was visiting the resort town for work. His body was recovered approximately 12 hours after the attack.

Witnesses included a family from San Clemente, California, who were staying nearby at the Marriott hotel. Jamie Yetter, her fiancé Chris Bury, and her teenage daughter were by the hotel pool when they heard screams coming from the beach. Initially thinking the man was caught in a rip current, Bury rushed toward the water and attempted to reach him using a paddleless kayak.

“There were no oars. There was really nothing at the beach at all to help. We were just scrambling, trying to do what we could,” Bury said. He was in the kayak when the victim was pulled under the water.

Despite the immediate response from the family and others on the scene, efforts to save the man were unsuccessful. Authorities later confirmed the man succumbed to injuries sustained in the crocodile attack.

Crocodile encounters are rare in this region but have raised concerns about the presence of wildlife near popular tourist locations. Officials have not released further details about the circumstances leading to the attack or any ongoing investigations into safety measures at Marina Vallarta Beach.