June 08, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-us-Sani 03, 1429

LABUANBAJO (Indonesia), June 7: Five European divers battled a komodo ‘dragon’ during 36 hours stranded on an Indonesian island reserve for the deadly reptiles after getting caught in strong currents.

The divers — three Britons, a Frenchman and a Swede — endured two nights on the deserted eastern island which is infested with the huge monitor lizards before rangers found them around midday on Saturday, a French survivor said.

Laurent Pinel, 31, said the group had to fight off one ‘dragon’ with rocks and scavenged for shellfish as they waited to be rescued from the tiny island in the Komodo National Park, east of Bali.

The largest lizard in the world, komodos usually feast in packs and can easily devour prey as large as buffalos. One bite can be extremely dangerous due to the virulent bacteria in their saliva.—AFP