Two Siblings Sleeping With Their Parents Die Of Snakebite In Odisha’s Nabarangpur
“The snake was identified as a banded krait, a highly venomous species. There was a three to four-hour delay as the family opted for a superstitious remedy first. Had the children been brought to a health centre immediately, timely administration of anti-venom could have saved their lives,” he said.
Bhubaneswar: In a tragic incident, two siblings lost their lives after being bitten by a venomous snake in Rajpur village under Umerkote block of Odisha’s Nabarangpur district late on Monday night.
According to reports, six members of the family were sleeping on the floor when a banded krait entered the house and bit a nine-month-old boy and his 11-year-old sister. Both children were lying between their parents at the time.
Instead of rushing to a medical facility, the family first took the children to a local faith healer, believing traditional rituals would help. However, as their condition worsened, they were shifted to Umerkote Sub-Divisional Hospital in a 108 ambulance around 4 am. Doctors declared them dead on arrival.
“We thought the healer would save them, but the situation worsened,” said Krusha Harijan, the grieving father.
Nabarangpur Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Dr Santosh Kumar Panda confirmed that the delay in seeking treatment proved fatal.
“The snake was identified as a banded krait, a highly venomous species. There was a three to four-hour delay as the family opted for a superstitious remedy first. Had the children been brought to a health centre immediately, timely administration of anti-venom could have saved their lives,” he said.
Dr Panda added that despite repeated awareness campaigns, reliance on traditional healers remains widespread in remote areas.
“We continue to face such tragic cases because superstitions persist, leading to avoidable deaths,” he noted.
