BRITISH twin sisters have been hospitalised in Mexico after being attacked by a crocodile while swimming in a lagoon.

Melissa Laurie, 28, was rescued from the jaws of the croc by her twin sister Georgia, and is now reportedly fighting for her life.

Dragged beneath the water

The sisters were swimming at night in Manialtepec Lagoon, close to the popular tourist town Puerto Escondido, about 450 miles south-east of Mexico City, when Melissa was dragged beneath the water by the crocodile.

Georgia dived under the surface to look for her when she didn’t reply and found her twin floating face-down after several minutes of desperate searching.

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She managed to bring Melissa back to the boat but the crocodile attacked again, forcing Georgia to repeatedly punch it in an effort to fight it off.

After several punches in the head, the reptile finally let go and the pair were rushed to hospital.

The twins’ mother, Sue Laurie, from Sandhurst, in Berkshire, told the Daily Mail that the pair both suffered bite injuries, and Melissa was placed into a medically-induced coma and came close to drowning.

She said: “Melissa is alive, but we don’t know if her injuries are life-threatening or not.

“She has water on her lungs and she has been coughing up blood. So we don’t know if she has a punctured lung or not.”

Their father, Sean Laurie, added: “It was only because she [Georgia] is a diver and has life-saving experience that she was able to save her.

“They were swimming after dark in the bioluminescent waters when Georgia heard Melissa cry out.

“She called for her but she didn't reply. She could hear other members of the tour group but did not hear anything from her sister.

“So she went under looking for her. She was very brave.

“Georgia had to fight it off. She kept punching it in the head. She suffered lacerations, bite wounds too."

The sisters were assured the waters were safe

Mr Laurie said that his daughters, who had been backpacking around the world, were visiting the lagoon with a tour company and were assured by their guide that the water was safe to swim in.

The parents are now said to be weighing up whether they need to fly out to Mexico to bring their daughters back to England.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: “We are supporting the family of two British women who are in hospital in Mexico, and are in contact with the local authorities.”