Odisha woman collapses, dies after sighting cobra in her backyard

Bhubaneswar: A 57-year-old woman reportedly collapsed and died soon after sighting a cobra in her backyard in Puri district of Odisha yesterday.

The deceased has been identified as Narkhari Bhoi, wife of Laxmidhar Bhoi, of Sebak Sahi village under Satyabadi block in Puri.

Narkhari sighted a cobra near their chicken pen in the backyard yesterday evening.

She raised an alarm and collapsed at the spot. Soon her family members rushed to the spot and found her dead, sources said.

On being informed, a member of the Snake Helpline reached the spot and rescued the cobra. By then, the snake had killed a hen, sources added.

The family members of the deceased woman, meanwhile, claimed that she was suffering from certain cardiovascular diseases.

“My wife was suffering from some cardiovascular diseases. She might have died due to heatstroke soon after sighting the cobra near our chicken pen,” said Laxmidhar.

However, the exact cause behind the woman’s death could not be ascertained as her family members consigned her body to flames without opting for a postmortem, sources said.