Beijing - A crocodile that fled an abandoned wildlife park for a day at the seaside sent beach-goers at a popular south China resort running on Sunday, state media said.

The crocodile surfaced at Beihai city's Silver Beach in the Guangxi Zhuang region, scaring off many swimmers, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Lifeguards immediately dispersed swimmers but only captured the creature after a three-hour struggle.

Investigators said the crocodile came from a private wildlife park which was closed awaiting auction.

It is believed to have crawled down a pipeline to the sea when the park drained its pool.

A villager near the beach said a park worker had come to his village on Saturday, asking for help to catch an unknown number of crocodile that had fled. - Sapa-AFP