THE BRIT twin who saved her sister from a crocodile has told of the horrifying moment the beast attacked her, dragged her underwater and bit her three times.
Melissa Laurie, 28, has now woken from a medically induced coma after she was saved by her twin Georgia, who punched the predator in the face.
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“It was fight or flight,” Georgia said. “And you have to fight for the people you love”.
The Berkshire-born siblings had taken a riverboat tour of the Manialtepec Lagoon in Mexico with friends when zookeeper Melissa was dragged underwater by the crocodile and thrown “around like a rag doll”.
They had been taken to the natural beauty spot by a tour guide recommended by their hostel, who was already suspected locally of organising illegal tours.
“I actually said to the guide, ‘this looks like a place where crocodiles make their home'”, Georgia told the BBC, but she added the man insisted it was safe to swim.
The tour guide – who has vanished in the wake of the incident – is believed to be a German national with no affiliation with the local tourism authority.
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The group were enjoying an early afternoon dip when Melissa was suddenly tugged underwater.
“It was terrifying,” Georgia recalled.
The brave Brit sprung into action and thumped the crocodile repeatedly on its nose to save her sister, before swimming back to the tour boat.
As she dragged her twin to safety, the crocodile attacked again and savaged both women.
One friend on the excursion with the group, Ani, rushed into the mangroves to call for help – cries which were answered by another nearby tour boat.
Lalo Escamilla, the boatman and local ornithologist who rushed to the twins’ aid, explained: “I pushed through the undergrowth using my oar.”
The experienced boatman hit out at the fraudulent tour guides who poach custom from local experts with the promise of cheap trips.
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“They’re not guides,” Lalo said.
“They’re not federally-approved experts, they don’t know this place. That’s the problem.”
Local authorities have said the grassy area in the river is a well-known spot for nesting crocs.
Melissa suffered life-threatening wounds after being bitten on her stomach and legs – which then became infected and had resulted in sepsis.
The twins older sister, Hana Laurie, 33, had previously told BBC Breakfast she also had “a lot of water and grass and things in her lungs,” and was placed into a medically induced coma.
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But Melissa has now woken and is “doing really good,” Georgia told Radio 1 Newsbeat in a WhatsApp voice note.
She added that the tubes inserted to help her twin breathe were taken out this morning.
“She’s been breathing on her own very well.
“She can’t talk because of the soreness of the tube but she can hear.”
Georgia had earlier been discharged from hopsital, having being treated for her hand injuries.
Meanwhile their mum Sue Laurie, 63, said it was Georgia and Melissa’s unbreakable bond that saved their lives.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mrs Laurie said: “They have always been there for each other.
“The girls can fight like cats and dogs, but there is no closer relationship than twins. They will do anything for each other.
“And what happened in Mexico shows just that. If Georgia had not have been there who knows what would have happened.”
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