KENDRAPARA: A 70-year-old man is feared dead after a saltwater crocodile reportedly dragged him into the swollen Kharasrota river in Kendrapara district on Tuesday morning.
The victim was identified as Pareswar Behera, a farmer of Gangadharprasaddia village under Rajkanika block. The incident took place at around 7.30 am.
Locals said as Gangadharprasaddia is marooned due to the recent floods, Pareswar was trying to board a boat to reach the nearby Ayatana market when a crocodile suddenly emerged from the floodwater and attacked him. The reptile clamped its jaws around him and pulled him into deep waters.
Boatmen and other villagers attempted to rescue him but to no avail. “The crocodile suddenly leapt out of the water and dragged Pareswar into the river. We raised an alarm and tried to save him, but he disappeared within moments,” said Bijay Behera, the boatman.
Divisional forest officer (DFO) of Rajnagar Varadaraj Gaonkar said a joint search operation by the fire services and forest personnel was underway to trace the missing man.
This was the second fatal crocodile attack in the flood-hit villages of the district within three weeks. On August 3, Suchitra Das (46) of Damodarapatana village under Pattamundai block was taking bath in the swollen Brahmani river when she was attacked and killed by a saltwater crocodile.
Officials said in the past 17 months, crocodile attacks have claimed the lives of seven persons in and around Bhitarkanika National Park. One of India’s largest mangrove ecosystems, Bhitarkanika is home to around 1,858 saltwater crocodiles.