Kendrapada: A woman went missing after allegedly being dragged by a crocodile into canal water at Hatiagadi village under Rajnagar block in Odisha’s Kendrapada district.
She has been identified as Sita Das (42). The incident took place when she was cleaning utensils in the canal water in the afternoon, sources said.
On being informed, Fire Service personnel along with the villagers launched an operation to trace the woman.
Following the incident, locals also staged a road blockade blaming the Forest department for the incident.
On June 14, a 10-year-old boy was killed after being attacked by a crocodile in Brahmani river at Nimapur village near Bhitarkanika National Park when he along with his mother and sister had gone to the river to take bath. This was the seventh fatal crocodile attack near Bhitarkanika in the last 13 months.
Bhitarkanika is home to around 1,793 saltwater crocodiles as per this year’s reptile census. The conflict and consequent loss of human lives are most frequently recorded during the monsoon and winter months, the nesting season when female crocodiles turn violent. The Forest department recently erected barricades at around 80 river ghats around Bhitarkanika in Aul, Rajkanika and Pattamundai blocks to prevent the crocodiles from attacking human beings, Divisional forest officer (DFO) of Bhitarkanika Sudarshan Gopinath Yadav had told the media.
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