South African couple dead found in crocodile-infested Kruger National Park river after being stabbed on holiday

The bodies of a retired South African couple have been pulled from a river in a national park.

Authorities believe Ernst and Dina Marais were stabbed to death in Kruger National Park last week following a suspected run-in with poachers. The park is situated in the northeast of the country, and is famed as one of the continent's largest game reserves.

The married pair, from Mossel Bay, had departed from their South African National Parks (SANParks) accommodation on 20 May for a day of sightseeing - the last time they were seen alive.

Friends of the couple recalled police visiting their home in the days after their mysterious disappearance, hoping they'd made their own way back, but had found the property empty.

The couple's bodies were pulled from crocodile-infested waters (Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

A spokesperson for the park told Cape Times that the 'gruesome discovery' of their bodies was made over the weekend, days after 'camp staff noticed the tourists had not returned to camp'.

"It was hoped that they had gone off road and [that their vehicle had] broken down after heavy local floods somewhere," they said in a statement. "But then we got a call to say two bodies had been found."

According to local authorities, Ernst, 71, and Dina, 73, were stabbed to death inside the national park.

Their bodies were pulled from an area of the river notorious for harbouring hundreds of crocodiles, close to the Pafuri section. They were found with their hands bound behind their backs.

Their hands had been bound behind their backs (Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

The park's representative added: "Both had been stabbed in what was clearly a very brutal attack and had been thrown into the river, no doubt for the crocs, and their 4 x 4 had been stolen, so this is a very major incident for us."

A source from the South African police force also told The Sun that investigators suspect the pair likely encountered a group of poachers illegally surveilling the area for prized animals, who likely killed Ernst and Dina to stop them from speaking out.

"Their pickup truck would have been an easy way to transport anything they were carrying if they were smugglers, and there are unfenced ways to get across the river into Mozambique," the insider explained.

The couple's neighbour also told the outlet: "They were a lovely couple who loved going on safari, and the residents are all in shock."

Aucamp confirmed that the victims' family had been informed (Sharon Seretlo/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

Willie Aucamp, South Africa's Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, announced in a press release: "It is the first time in the history of the Kruger National Park that an incident of this nature has been reported."

He added that the victims' families have now been alerted and that police are currently investigating the incident.