Jharsuguda, July 30 (UDN): A family in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district was devastated by two deaths within hours after a young man succumbed to a snakebite and his elderly grandfather collapsed during the funeral ceremony.

The tragic incident occurred in Sagarpali Ekaphalia Pada village under the jurisdiction of Rengali police station, plunging the entire locality into mourning.

According to local sources, Sunil Patania (26) was sleeping at his residence on Monday night when he was bitten by a venomous snake. Realising he had been bitten, he immediately alerted his family members, who rushed him to the Lakhanpur Community Health Centre for emergency treatment.

Despite efforts to save him, doctors declared Sunil dead on arrival. After completing the post-mortem examination, police handed over the body to the family, and preparations were made for his final rites.

However, the grief-stricken family suffered another devastating blow during the cremation. While relatives and villagers were gathered at the cremation ground to bid farewell to Sunil, his 75-year-old grandfather, Indrajit Patania, suddenly collapsed.

Family members immediately shifted the elderly man to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. According to family members, Indrajit had been battling kidney-related health complications for some time, and the emotional trauma of witnessing his grandson’s funeral is believed to have aggravated his condition.

The back-to-back deaths have left the Patania family shattered and cast a pall of gloom over Sagarpali Ekaphalia Pada village, with residents expressing shock over the heartbreaking sequence of events.