He said the boy had been attacked on Saturday after entering a bush for a toilet stop in a fishing village in the national park on Komodo, an island 1,500 km (930 miles) east of the capital Jakarta.

His uncle, who had been mending fishing nets nearby, tried to free him by throwing stones at the dragon, he added.

"However, the boy bled to death half an hour after the attack," added Rudiharto.

The official said it was rare for such attacks on humans, although in the dry season that started in April the dragon's normal prey became more scarce.

"It is very common here to see dragons roaming in the residential area in the national park. But it is very rare that a Komodo dragon kills a human," said Rudiharto.

"Usually, people here only suffer minor injuries."

There are about 2,000 of the protected and endangered dragons living in the wild, mainly on Indonesia's Komodo and Rinca islands, he said.

The dragons, which are agile and have a keen sense of smell, can grow to a length of 3 metres (more than 9 ft) and weigh on average 200 lbs (90 kg), according to data from Honolulu Zoo.

Komodo dragons regularly kill prey such as pigs and small deer and have been known to take down an adult water buffalo.

But they are opportunistic feeders and are prepared to eat anything they can overpower -- including small dragons and occasionally humans.