Nagpur: India is reeling under one of its worst summers, with several states experiencing temperatures of 40 degrees centigrade and more over the past 10 days.
The extreme heatwave conditions have led to acute hardships in cities and villages, more so in rural areas where people don’t have the luxury of airconditioners. Loss of lives have been reported from some states as well, mostly of aged people who have not been able to cope with the unbearable conditions.
But what happened in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur can only be described as utterly tragic.
A 53-year-old woman, unable to bear the scorching temperatures, decided to sleep outside her house.
She did take a risk as she lived in Virkhalchak village which comes under Saoli forest range, and paid the ultimate price. A tiger attacked her and mauled her to death.
According to police, the victim identified as Mandabai Sidam created a loud noise after being attacked. The big cat panicked, left the prey and escaped into the forest. But the damage had been done as the woman succumbed to her injuries on the spot.
Forest officials and police reached the spot for an inspection,
Chief conservator of forest Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar said officials and cops inspected the spot soon after being intimated about the incident, and initial compensation was given to the deceased woman’s family.
Eight people have been killed in attacks by wild animals so far in Chandrapur this year, while there were 53 casualties in 2022.
