The pair, who are both Zimbabwean, were part of a group participating in a New Year's Eve picnic on Sunday in the Matopos National Park, 35 kilometres (22 miles) from Bulawayo in the country's south.

"John Bowman and Rosemary Mitchell were attacked while paddling in the crocodile-infested Mpopoma Dam," said Tinashe Farawo of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

Bowman subsequently succumbed to his injuries.

"It is unfortunate that they were using air-pumped boats, which are not permissible," added Farawo.

Last year. a South African tourist, Scott Van Zyl, 44, was killed by crocodiles in the Limpopo river during a hunting trip.