Keonjhar: In a tragic incident, a woman and her two-year-old son died of electrocution while drying clothes in the courtyard of their home in the Banspal Bazar area of Keonjhar district. Another woman, the child’s grandmother, was critically injured while trying to rescue them.

The incident occurred around 10 AM when 23-year-old Kalpana Mahakud was drying wet clothes on a wire tied across the courtyard. One of the garments accidentally came into contact with a live electric wire running parallel to the clothesline, resulting in Kalpana being electrocuted.

Hearing her cries, her two-year-old son, Subhrajit Behera, rushed to her side in an attempt to help but was tragically electrocuted as well. Kalpana’s mother-in-law, Shantilata Behera, also rushed to the scene and tried to rescue them, but she too suffered an electric shock.

With the help of villagers, all three were rushed to the Banspal hospital. However, doctors declared Kalpana and her son Subhrajit dead on arrival. Shantilata remains in critical condition and is undergoing treatment.

The incident cast a pall of gloom over the area, with the local community mourning the loss of the young mother and child.