Hatadihi/Chhenapadi: An 8-year-old girl was killed while her 5-year-old cousin was critically injured when a portion of a mud wall collapsed and fell on the kids at Badarampas village under Hatadihi block in Keonjhar district, Tuesday morning.
The deceased has been identified as Snehalata Sahu, niece of Maheshwar Sahu. Her cousin and Maheshwar’s son, Saiprasad, is currently undergoing treatment at the Anandapur Sub-Divisional Hospital.
According to sources, Snehalata had been living with her maternal family following her father’s death. She was preparing to leave for school to appear in an examination while Saiprasad was sitting near her. At around 6:30 am, while she was having breakfast, a section of the mud wall collapsed on the children. Family members and neighbours rushed to rescue the children and took them to the hospital, where doctors declared Snehalata dead on arrival.
Also Read: Jaleswar-Chandaneswar-Digha railway projects: Locals caught between hope & despair
The Nandipada police arrived at the hospital and took the body for post-mortem. A case of unnatural death (Case No. 2/25) has been registered, Inspector Rabindra Patra informed.
Anandapur MLA Abhimanyu Sethi and Badarampas Sarpanch Rabindra Kumar Jena expressed their condolences over the demise of the child.
Meanwhile, the village sarpanch is actively coordinating efforts to secure immediate government assistance for both families.
PNN
