This is the moment a fearsome crocodile attacks a homeless woman who was washing her clothes in the lagoon.

The incident was filmed at Carpenter’s Lagoon in the municipality of Tampico in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas at around 7pm on Monday.

The victim has not been properly identified, but local residents know the homeless woman as ‘Dona Lety’, saying that she was around 50 years old.

After a preliminary investigation, the police confirmed that the woman came to the bank to wash her clothes.

However, the huge, two-metre (6.6-foot) long crocodile surprised her and dragged her under the water where she died, according to the news site Excelsior.

The crocodile was swimming around with the woman’s body until firefighters arrived on the scene and were able use tools to make the reptile release it.

The authorities later caught the crocodile and are keeping it a facility. It is unclear what they plan to do with it.

The lagoon is home to many Morelet’s crocodiles and the authorities do alert visitors to the danger.

There are prohibited areas at Carpenter’s Lagoon and fences have been set up to prevent people from passing.

Meanwhile, the victim’s body has been taken to a local morgue.