British woman in coma after Mexico crocodile attack

Melissa was rescued by her twin sister Georgia.
Melissa was rescued by her twin sister Georgia. Photo credit: Facebook / Melissa Laurie

A British woman is in a medically induced coma after being rescued from a crocodile attack by her twin sister in Mexico.

Melissa and Georgia Laurie were swimming in a lagoon near the popular surf town of Puerto Escondido when Melissa was attacked by the crocodile, the Daily Mail reports.

The twins were part of a tour visiting the Manialtepec Lagoon, famous for its bioluminescence, when Georgia heard her sister cry out in the water.

When Melissa didn't reply to her name being called, Georgia started searching frantically in the water. It was only then she found her 28-year-old sister floating face down on the surface.

The twins' mother Sue Laurie told the Daily Mail her daughters were rushed to hospital and that Melissa remains in a medically induced coma.

Both sisters suffered bites from the crocodile but Sue said she didn't know the true extent of the injuries.

"Melissa is alive, but we don't know if her injuries are life-threatening or not," she told the Daily Mail.

"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."

The twins' father Sean said without Georgia's bravery Melissa would surely be dead.

"It was only because she is a diver and has life-saving experience that she was able to save her."

Sean said although swimmers in tour groups visiting the lagoon are warned crocodiles live there, his daughters specifically asked if it was safe to swim and were told there were no crocodiles in the water.

He said he and his wife were now considering flying to Mexico to bring their daughters home.