KENDRAPARA: A 14-year-old boy narrowly escaped death after fighting off a crocodile with his bare hands in Kani river at Araja village near Bhitarkanika National Park here on Monday. Omprakash Sahoo was taking bath in the river with his friends when the six-foot-long reptile attacked him.
The estuarine crocodile grabbed his legs and tried to drag him deep into the river. But he started fighting off the reptile. "I pricked the crocodile’s eyes with my fingers following which the reptile loosened its grip enabling me to escape," said Omprakash while undergoing treatment in the hospital.
Mahadev Sahoo, an eyewitness, said the boy was in waist-deep water when the crocodile grabbed his leg. "While Omprakash was fighting with the reptile, villagers rushed to the spot on hearing his screams and started throwing stones at the crocodile. Eventually, the boy managed to free himself. He sustained injuries on both his legs and hands," Mahadev informed.
Omprakash was first admitted to the district headquarters hospital at Kendrapara and later, shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack after his condition worsened. Doctors said his life is out of danger and he is responding well to the treatment.
This is the third crocodile attack reported near Bhitarkanika in a month. On May 26, Janaki Jena (54) of Jharapada village was killed by a crocodile when she was washing utensils in the river. Similarly on May 4, 40-year-old Shiv Prasad Behera of Nalapai village was killed in a crocodile attack while taking bath in Brahmani river.