A construction worker was bitten by a crocodile Pai punched the two-meter (6.5-foot) crocodile in the eye after it bit him
The attack happened early Friday, when the 32-year-old decided to take his chances in the river in Sarawak state despite knowing it was infested with crocodiles.
The laborer, an Indonesian who works at a nearby construction site, had just finished relieving himself under a bridge when the animal bit him from behind.
"Fortune favored me when the crocodile let go after I punched it in the eye," he was quoted by Malay tabloid Harian Metro as saying.
"After being freed from the jaws of the crocodile, I found extraordinary strength to run and call for help even though my waist was extremely painful."
Several newspapers ran pictures of Pai, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, lying on his stomach at the Sarawak General Hospital with bandages on his waist and hip area.
According to The Star newspaper, he also suffered puncture wounds on the left side of his ribs.