Human Wildlife Conflict / Crocodile Attack Claims Woman’s Life in Kendrapada

Kendrapada, Sep 16: A woman was killed in a crocodile attack at Kharnasi village in Kendrapada district on Tuesday morning, underscoring the growing human–wildlife conflict in the region.

The victim, identified as Hemabala Das of Kharnasi, had gone to the Kharnasi–Ramnagar riverbank to collect soil for plastering her house ahead of Nuakhai festivities. While digging soil near the river, a crocodile suddenly attacked her from behind and dragged her into the water.

Family members, alarmed when she did not return home, began searching. Local fishermen, who heard her cries while fishing nearby, rushed to the spot and managed to rescue her in a severely injured state.

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She was taken to the Kendrapada District Headquarters Hospital, but doctors declared her dead due to deep injuries on her limbs and prolonged submersion in water.

The incident has cast a pall of grief over the village during the festive season. This is not the first such tragedy in the district. Just weeks earlier, in late August, a crocodile attacked an elderly man, Pareshwar Behera of Diha village, while he was crossing the Kharsrota river. His body was recovered two days later.

According to official records, crocodile attacks have claimed six lives in Kendrapada district in the past seven months alone. Over the last seven years, nearly 35 people have lost their lives to crocodile attacks in areas such as Rajnagar, Pattamundai, Kendrapada, Ali, Kanika, and Marshaghai.

Local residents say the increasing frequency of attacks has created fear along riverbanks and fishing zones. Despite awareness campaigns and helplines issued by the Forest Department, villagers continue to face risks while collecting soil, bathing, or fishing in crocodile‑infested waters.