Man Dies After Crocodile Attack on Dhadhar Riverbank

Vadodara: A 60-year-old man died after a crocodile attacked him and dragged him into the Dhadhar river near Karali village in Dabhoi on Sunday afternoon. The victim, Soma Vasava, battled the reptile for nearly 30 minutes before villagers rescued him. He later succumbed to his injuries at SSG Hospital.

Vasava had taken his goats to graze near the river and was leading one of them to drink water when a crocodile suddenly attacked the animal. When he rushed to save the goat, the reptile caught his leg and dragged him into the river, said Pritesh Prajapati, range forest officer (RFO), Dabhoi.

Vasava managed to grab a shrub on the riverbank and clung to it as the crocodile repeatedly tried to pull him underwater. Around 1 pm, a local resident heard his cries for help, prompting villagers to rush to the spot.

After struggling to free him, one of the villagers struck the crocodile with a bamboo stick, forcing it to release Vasava before disappearing into the river. The injured man was rushed to SSG Hospital, where he died during treatment.

“Vasava suffered grievous injuries to his legs. His postmortem report will reveal the cause of death,” Prajapati said. DeshGujarat