An 11-year-old girl in Zimbabwe rescued her friend from a crocodile's grip last week.

According to The Sunday Times, 9-year-old Latoya Muwani was swimming in a stream when a crocodile attacked her.

That's when Rebecca Munkombwe heard her friend screaming for help and decided to act quickly.

The 11-year-old hero dove into the water, jumped on top of the crocodile and gouged its eyes to help Muwani escape from the reptile's grips.

“We had just left the water when we heard Latoya who was left alone swimming near the neck-deep zone screaming that something was biting her hand. Since I was the eldest among the other seven children, I felt the urge to save her," Munkombwe told The Sunday Times. "So, I jumped into the water and swam to where she was struggling to float. She was screaming in pain that something was biting and pulling her under.”

Muwani escaped with mild injuries and without any fractured bones. Fortune Muwani said he was at work when he heard that his daughter had been attacked by a crocodile.

"For a moment there I thought of the worst before I learnt that she had survived after being saved by Rebecca," the father told The Sunday Times. "How she managed to do that I don’t know, but I am grateful to God. Latoya is recovering well here at St. Patrick’s and we expect her to be discharged soon as her injuries are not serious."

According to Culture Trip, Crocodile attacks are common in Zimbabwe, but many cases are never reported due to the remoteness of some areas.

Officials who spoke to The Sunday Times said women and children are forced to utilize dangerous sources for drinking water such as the crocodile-infested streams because there is a lack of access to clean water. Three people have been attacked by crocodiles in the same stream, The Sunday Times reported.

At least 30 people in Zimbabwe were killed by crocodiles in 2017, while more than seven others were seriously injured, Culture Trip reported.

In 2018, BBC told the story of a woman in Zimbabwe who was attacked by a crocodile while riding in a canoe with her husband. The 25-year-old victim was rescued by tour guides, but she now has a missing right arm.

Rebecca Munkombwe

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