Bahraich (UP) | A 14-year-old girl was mauled to death by a leopard here while she was on her way to the fields in the Katarniaghat Wildlife Division, officials said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred in the Semrahna hamlet of the Gaura Pipra village under the Kakraha Range of the Katarniaghat Wildlife Division on Monday evening, officials added.

The victim, identified as Sanjana (14), was heading towards agricultural fields at dusk when a leopard hiding in nearby bushes attacked her, grabbing her by the neck and inflicting critical injuries, according to villagers.

Hearing her screams, locals rushed to the spot and managed to chase the animal away by making noise. However, by then, the girl had sustained life-threatening wounds.

She was first taken to the Motipur community health centre, but as her condition deteriorated, she was referred to the district medical college in Bahraich, where doctors declared her brought dead, officials said.

The family has been given an immediate financial assistance of Rs 5,000 and after completing all official formalities, the family will be provided Rs 5 lakh as compensation according to the government norms, forest officials said.

The body has been sent for the postmortem.