A 17-year-old youth, Muniswaran, died on Sunday following a crocodile attack near the Sathanur dam in Tiruvannamalai district. The incident took place around 8:30 a.m. in the Periyamalai Odai stream, situated behind the dam, where Muniswaran and his 17-year-old friend, K. Sanjay, had gone fishing after grazing cattle. Police stated that a crocodile suddenly surfaced and dragged Muniswaran into the water as he walked a few metres into the stream.
Sanjay attempted to deter the crocodile by throwing stones and subsequently alerted residents, who then contacted Sathanur police and forest officials. Forest range officer Vishwanathan of the Crocodile Farm (Sathanur) indicated that regular warnings are issued to residents along the Thenpennai river to avoid venturing into the water or dam area due to the presence of numerous crocodiles. Muniswaran’s body was later sent to the Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruvannamalai for postmortem examination. This event marks the second fatal crocodile incident in the Sathanur village area within just over a year.
Source: www.thehindu.com