NEED TO KNOW
- The partially-eaten remains of an Indian woman have been recovered a day after she was attacked by a crocodile and pulled into a river
- Indian authorities have identified the woman as Soudamini Mahala
- Mahala was killed in the Kharasrota River on Monday, October 6, Indian newspapers reported
The half-eaten remains of a 57-year-old Indian woman have been recovered after she was attacked and dragged into a river by a crocodile, according to local officials.
Indian authorities said the woman, identified as Soudamini Mahala, was killed in the Kharasrota River on Monday, October 6, according to the Times of India.
Indian newspapers The Free Press Journal and Hindustan Times both reported the attack happened while she was bathing in the river.
“A crocodile dragged her into the high stream of the river,” a Binjharpur police officer told the Hindustan Times. “Villagers present on the riverbank tried to chase the reptile but failed to rescue her.”
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A witness, Naba Kishore Mahala, told the newspaper that bystanders tried to save her from the attack as soon as it began unfolding, but were unsuccessful.
Footage of the attack, which was shared online, went viral.
After first responders arrived they also began searching for Mahala, according to The Free Press Journal. Her half-eaten body was found the next day.
“The victim is survived by two sons and her husband,” Santosh Kumar Pati, a Jajpur forest official, told the Times of India.
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“We have seized the body and sent it to the government hospital in Jajpur for an autopsy,” Pati continued, telling the newspaper that forest department officials will offer compensation to Mahala’s surviving relatives.
Worldwide, crocodiles kill about 1,000 people per year, according to BBC Wildlife Magazine.
