A crocodile has been sighted near the water villas of Varu by Atmosphere Resort, located on Madivaru Island in the Malé Atoll.

The unexpected sighting has prompted an immediate response from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), with army personnel now deployed to locate and capture the animal.

The resort, situated approximately 40 minutes by boat from the capital city Malé, reported the sighting earlier today. Although the crocodile has not yet been apprehended, the MNDF has launched a search operation in and around the surrounding waters.

Footage circulating on social media shows what appears to be a crocodile approximately six feet in length heading in the direction of the resort's water villas.

This is not the first time such reptiles have been seen in the Maldives. Crocodile sightings have previously occurred across various islands in the country, often around the same period each year. Despite the frequency of sightings, there have been no recorded incidents of injury caused by crocodiles in the Maldives to date.