Kendrapara: A 70-year-old man is feared dead after a saltwater crocodile attacked and dragged her into the flood-swollen Kharosotra river in Kendrapada district on Tuesday morning. This was the second fatal crocodile attack in the flood-hit villages in the district in three weeks. The victim, Pareswar Behera of Gangadharprasaddia village under Rajkanika block, was trying to board a boat to reach the nearby Ayatana market around 7.30 am when the crocodile suddenly emerged from the floodwater, clamped its jaws around him and pulled him into the water before anyone could rescue him.Boatmen and other passengers attempted to rescue him but their efforts failed. “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.According to divisional forest officer (DFO) Varadaraj Gaonkar, Rajnagar a joint search operation by the fire services and the forest department was underway to trace the missing man. He added that the forest department would provide an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the victim’s family after due inquiry.The incident is the latest in a series of human-crocodile conflicts in the region. A 46-year-old woman Suchitra Das of Damodarapatana village under Pattamundai block was killed on Aug 3 by a saltwater crocodile while she was taking bath in the flood-swollen Brahmani river.Officials said estuarine crocodiles have claimed seven human lives in the past 17 months, 16 over the last three years and 32 in the past 51 months in and around Bhitarkanika National Park.
