12-year-old girl dies in tiger attack

Bahraich (UP), Jan 9: A 12-year-old girl was killed in a tiger attack in Abdullah Ganj forest area on the Nepal border. According to a senior forest department official, Seema Yadav, daughter of Parshuram Yadav, a resident of Chenaini village, had taken out their goats for grazing in the dense Charda forest on Saturday when the tiger dragged her away.

Forest official Ahmed Kamaal Siddiqui said that the forest falls in Abdullah Ganj Range under Bahraich Forest Division.

The villagers and forest workers, who searched for the girl on through a blood trail and footprints, found her in a severely wounded state and with head injuries.

She died before reaching the hospital.

The forest department has provided assistance to the girl's family members and compensation as per the norms will be given after receiving her autopsy report, Siddiqui said.

He added that the forest workers are constantly cautioning villagers to prevent children from moving out alone.

Villagers have also been asked to go out in groups.

In another incident in the Katarniaghat Wildlife Division, a leopard allegedly dragged a 10-year-old into a forest and left him seriously injured.

Divisional Forest Officer, Akashdeep Badhawan, has identified the child as Santosh Yadav.

He said the leopard left Yadav in a badly injured state and strayed away into the forest after villagers raised alarm.

Yadav was sent to Medical College in Bahraich and later referred to Trauma Centre in Lucknow.