Jankia,28th July 2025: A tragic accident occurred on Tuesday night in Talakheta village near Jankia, resulting in the electrocution of 8 cows and injury to a cowherd after an overhead electric wire snapped and fell following a transformer fire.
The incident took place around 10 PM at Talakheta Chhak in Radhacharanpur. Eyewitnesses said a transformer caught fire suddenly, emitting sparks and flames, which led to the electric wire detaching and falling into a nearby open field. At that time, over 70 cows owned by local cowherd Dasia Behera were grazing in the field.
The electric wire fell onto the cows, killing eight on the spot. The cows reportedly panicked and began to run in fear after hearing a loud noise and seeing sparks from the transformer. Tragically, the fallen live wire came in contact with several of them, causing their death due to electric shock.
In a bid to save his animals, Golaka Behera, a cowherd from Sakhigopal area in Puri district, who currently lives in Radhacharanpur, also came in contact with the live wire and was seriously injured. Locals quickly rescued him and admitted him to the nearby hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.
According to locals, the electric pole had caught fire with a loud blast, and the nearby transformer soon followed. The villagers allege that poor maintenance and lack of timely repair by the electricity department led to the mishap.
They are demanding immediate compensation for the death of livestock and better safety measures to avoid similar tragedies in the future.