A 57-year-old man was killed in front of his wife by a 15ft crocodile dubbed Michael Jackson, as the pair fished in a river in northern Australia.

The Irish Independent reported the unnamed man went into the Adelaide River, a spot notorious for the deadly predators, to un-snag his line when he was taken the saltwater crocodile, Northern Territory Police Duty Superintendent Jo Foley said.

The woman did not see her husband taken, but heard “a scream and then turned around and saw a tail splashing in the water,” the officer said.

The Adelaide River crocodiles are a major tourist attraction. The man was attacked near the Arnhem Highway bridge close to where cruise ships show sightseers crocodiles leaping from the water to snatch chicken carcasses suspended from poles.

Police Senior Constable Travis Edwards said searchers in boats found the victim’s body last night and shot the crocodile.

The creature was named after pop star Jackson due to its albino colouring, which meant it had a distinctive white head.

Tony Blums who runs Adelaide River Queen Jumping Crocodile Cruises, told Sky News: “It’s very unusual to have an albino croc.

In a separate report, ITV News cannot independently verify the footage below, which purports to show the crocodile in question