Paralakhemundi: A woman and her seven-year-old son died after they were bitten by snakes while sleeping at their home in Gajapati district, officials said Friday. The victims were identified as Lalita Bada Raita, 30, and her son, Amit Bada Raita, residents of Kadamatal village under Jalang panchayat in Rayagada block.
According to family members, Lalita, her husband Ajay Bada Raita, their son and one-and-a-half-year-old daughter were asleep Thursday night when two banded kraits entered the house at around 2 am and bit Lalita and Amit on their hands.
Hearing their cries, Ajay woke up and found the snakes inside the house. The family immediately rushed the two victims to the Rayagada Community Health Centre. As their condition deteriorated, they were referred to the District Headquarters Hospital at Paralakhemundi for advanced treatment.
Despite medical efforts, both Lalita and Amit succumbed while undergoing treatment at the hospital, officials said. The deaths have cast a pall of gloom over Kadamatal village. Snakebite remains a major public health concern in rural Odisha, particularly during the monsoon season when snakes frequently enter homes in search of dry shelter.
Local authorities have urged residents to remain vigilant and seek immediate medical treatment in the event of snakebite.
