In a heart-wrenching incident that has plunged Gobandia village in Odisha’s Jajpur district into mourning, a teenage girl and her grandfather died within hours of each other—one from a venomous snakebite, the other from the shock of her death.
Ankita Priyadarshini, 15, was bitten by a venomous snake while sleeping at her home late at night. She was rushed to Mahanga Health Centre and later shifted to SCB Medical College in Cuttack due to the severity of her condition. Despite medical efforts, Ankita succumbed to the venom.
As her body was being brought back home after the postmortem, her grandfather, Babaji Paramanik, 75, collapsed upon hearing the news. He was being taken to the hospital, but tragically passed away before receiving treatment.
The double tragedy has cast a pall of grief over the village. Teachers from Ankita’s school and numerous locals visited the family to offer condolences. Both were cremated at the village cremation ground.