Woman killed in bear attack in Odisha's Kalahandi

Bhawanipatna:  In a tragic incident, a woman died after she was reportedly attacked by a bear in Koksara block of Odisha's Kalahandi district on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Bhabani Thakur of Patrabasa village under Bara Danga panchayat of the block.

As per reports, Bhabani was going for some work when the bear suddenly appeared and attacked her fatally. Villagers spotted her body in the morning and informed Ampani police and forest officials. Though the exact reason behind her death will be established only after the postmortem, locals asserted that it was a bear attack that claimed her life. "This is a densely forested area and bears are on the prowl. Recently, two such cases of bear attacks have been reported here. The Forest department must step up and spread awareness to minimise the human-animal conflict," said a panchayat samiti member.

Meanwhile, official sources said family members have been informed and probe is underway.