Indore | The recent death of six people from bites by an unidentified animal in Madhya Pradesh's Barwani district prompted a massive search operation by the forest department after villagers reported sightings of a hyena in the area, officials said on Wednesday.
Prima facie, the yet-to-be-identified animal is suspected to have been infected with the rabies virus, though confirmation is awaited pending lab reports.
The attack occurred in the early hours of May 5 in Limbai village and nearby areas, where 17 people were bitten while sleeping outside their homes due to the heat.
All the victims were administered anti-rabies vaccines, officials said. However, between May 23 and June 2, six of them succumbed, officials said.
Forest Range Officer Vikas Jamre told PTI that locals reported spotting a hyena in the area around the time of the incident.
"Pugmarks suspected to belong to a hyena have been found, and based on this, our search operations have been intensified,” he said.
A team of 45 forest personnel is combing a 15-km radius around the village, which is located approximately 4.5 km from the nearest forest boundary.
"The suspected pugmarks are under examination, but it is yet to be confirmed whether they indeed belong to a hyena," Jamre added.
Barwani Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Surekha Jamre said that a 35-year-old man injured in the attack is currently stable and receiving treatment at the district hospital.
"All others who were bitten are under observation and in stable condition," she said.
To ascertain if the victims contracted rabies, brain tissue samples from one of the deceased and saliva samples from surviving patients have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, she added.
Dr Arvind Ghanghoria, dean of Indore-based Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, said, "We suspect that six people from Barwani district died due to rabies. To confirm this, the brain tissue of a deceased person has also been sent to a laboratory in Delhi for further testing. The report is awaited".