Bhubaneswar: Panic gripped Odisha’s Chandrabhaga in Konark on Sunday after an estuarine crocodile was reportedly spotted at the beach.
On being informed, forest department officials along with a special team, summoned from Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, began a thorough search of the beach looking for the sea crocodile.
Sources said the forest officials and the special team from Nandankanan were busy scanning both the land and water areas of Chandrabhaga beach.
Speaking to the media about the search operation, forest official Bibek Kumar stated, “A thorough search is underway to spot and rescue the crocodile. Members of the search team with help of boats were looking for the estuarine crocodile in nearby water too. The shore was also scanned carefully. During the operation search team members and forest personnel were posted at 100 meters distance from each other.”
Hundreds of tourists throng Chandrabhaga Beach regularly. So extreme caution was taken to keep visitors away from the beach after the crocodile was reported to be roaming nearby, sources said.
Worth mentioning that Chandrabhaga Beach is situated three kilometers east of the world famous Konark Sun temple in Puri district. The beach is nearly 30 kilometres from pilgrim town Puri.
