Odisha: Crocodile Drags Away 52-Year-Old Man While Bathing In Kharasrota River; Search Operation Underway
The incident comes amid rising water levels in rivers across the region due to incessant rainfall: Reports
BHUBANESWAR: A 52-year-old man was allegedly dragged away by a crocodile while bathing in the Kharasrota River near Jebil village in Odisha's Jajpur district on Tuesday, triggering a large-scale search and rescue operation.
Personnel from the fire services and the forest department rushed to the spot after being alerted and launched a search operation, which was still underway at the time of filing this report.
The incident comes amid rising water levels in rivers across the region due to incessant rainfall, which has led to an increase in crocodile sightings in several areas.
According to local reports, a crocodile had been spotted in the same stretch of the Kharasrota River barely two hours before the incident. Eyewitnesses claimed they saw the reptile seize the man and drag him into the water before he disappeared. Local residents immediately alerted the authorities.
Officials said they had earlier issued public advisories and installed warning posters urging people to avoid entering rivers and other water bodies following repeated crocodile sightings.
With crocodile encounters becoming more frequent in different parts of the state, the authorities are planning to identify and map vulnerable stretches where the reptiles are regularly sighted. The exercise is aimed at strengthening surveillance, improving public awareness and preventing similar incidents in the future.
