73 buffaloes belonging to three families of Ekamania village in the Aul area of Kendrapara district died while crossing river. The buffaloes, owned by Ganesh Das, Jagannath Das, and Pagala Bishwal, reportedly drowned in the water while crossing the Galia river.

According to the owners, as the river current increased suddenly, the buffaloes were unable to swim forward, and one after another drowned in the river.

Possibility of Poisoned Water

In total, the three families had taken around 90 buffaloes for grazing as usual. However, suspicion arose as to how such a large number of buffaloes could die at the same time. Concerns are being raised that insecticides used in the area for shrimp farming may have poisoned the water. It is suspected that the buffaloes might have drunk the contaminated water, leading to their deaths.

Suspense Over Cause of Death

The incident has created tension and raised doubts among the locals, as the sudden and simultaneous death of so many buffaloes is being seen as unusual.

One of the buffalo owners said, "Every day, we take our buffaloes along the same grazing route. But suddenly, one after another began to drown. I lost 40 buffaloes, and my brother lost 21. Thankfully, I managed to pull my son to safety. We don’t own any farmland and rely entirely on our buffaloes for our livelihood. We humbly request the government to provide us with assistance, as this loss has left us devastated and without means to survive."

Veterinary Team Investigation

A team of veterinary doctors has reached the spot to conduct post-mortem examinations in order to determine the cause behind the deaths. The exact reason has not been established so far, and investigations are underway to find out how the incident occurred.