Bhubaneswar: Two persons, including a national-level para-athlete, died after being bitten by a dog in Odisha’s Balangir district.

The incident took place at Chiched village under Tusura police limits in Balangir.

The deceased have been identified as Jogendra Chhatria (33) and Hrusikesh Rana (45) of the village. Chhatria was a national-level para-athlete and he had won medals at several national and international events.

As per reports, a stray dog had bitten altogether eight persons, including Chhatria and Rana, on July 23.

Chhatria was immediately rushed to a community health centre (CHC) at Deogaon. However, the doctors advised Chhatria’s family members to shift him to a hospital at Balangir as the CHC did not have anti-rabies injections.

The para-athlete was later taken to Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) at Burla in Sambalpur. He died while being treated at the premier health facility yesterday.

Similarly, Rana died while being treated for dog bite, reports said.

The locals, meanwhile, claimed that Chiched village did not have any stray dogs. Some unidentified persons allegedly released a few stray dogs at the village after they brought the canines in a vehicle a few days ago.

Chhatria’s family members, meanwhile, claimed that the para-athlete’s life could have been saved if there were anti-rabies injections at Deogaon CHC.