Bhubaneswar, Aug. 25 -- Six persons, including five minors, died of suspected snake bite in separate incidents in Odisha, officials said on Tuesday.
A 76-year-old man and his eight-year-old grandson died after a poisonous snake bit them while they were sleeping on the floor of their house at Tilaimal village in Sundergarh on Monday night, police said.
The deceased were identified as Rabi Bhuyan and his grandson Sanjay Naik.
Two minor siblings also died in a suspected snakebite case in the Raghunathpali police station area of Rourkela city, the officials said.
The deceased were identified as Sameer Haro (10) and his seven-year-old sister Siren Haro.
A 10-year-old girl in Chandbali area of Bhadrak and another girl from Baliapal locality in Balasore also died of suspected snake bite, a police officer said.
"People should try to ensure that anti-venom treatment is provided to the victim within one hour of a snake bite," said Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, expressing concern over such incidents amid floods in parts of Odisha.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.