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Reports: Arizona man has leg amputated after crocodile attack in Costa Rica

Posted at 3:56 PM, Jul 22, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-22 18:56:36-04

An American man was reportedly in serious condition after he was attacked by a crocodile at a popular tourist beach in Costa Rica on Friday.

Diario Extra said the victim was bitten in the morning at the mouth of an estuary in Tamarindo, a town in northwestern Costa Rica that is favored by surfers and eco-tourists.

The newspaper said the man, a 50-year-old from Arizona, suffered partial amputation of his right ankle and was also wounded in the neck.

Primero en Noticias reported that most of his calf muscle was stripped, and he was hospitalized to undergo reconstructive surgery.

The U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica said in a statement that it was aware of reports that an American citizen had been attacked by a crocodile. It said consular officers help U.S. citizens when they are injured overseas, but declined to comment further citing privacy considerations.