A viral video showed a massive crocodile ominously coursing in the waters of the Gandak river, creating panic among devotees who has planned to visit the river banks for Chhath Puja rituals.

Chhath Puja 2023: Devotees thronging the banks of Gandak River in Gopalganj district of Bihar were in for a shock after a giant crocodile was seen roaming close to the Dumaria Ghat of the waterway. A video, which has gone viral on social media, showed the massive reptilian ominously coursing in the river’s waters, creating panic among devotees who has planned to visit the river banks for Chhath Puja rituals.

After the video went viral on social media platforms, the local authorities have issued directives to prospective visitors, urging them to remain vigilant and exercise caution when approaching close to the banks of the river.

WATCH THE VIRAL VIDEO HERE:

गोपालगंज में गंडक (नारायणी) नदी के डुमरिया छठ घाट पर उस समय अफरातफरी मच गई जब एक विशाल मगरमच्छ दिखा. वीडियो सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल हो रहा है. चार दिवसीय छठ महापर्व पर बड़ी संख्या में श्रद्धालु घाट पर जाते हैं. डर का माहौल है. pic.twitter.com/2slQVmciTb

— Ajeet Kumar (@iajeetkumar) November 16, 2023

The Gopalganj district administration has also erected barricades along several ghats of the Gandak River to prevent worshippers from venturing into deep waters.

The administration has installed banners and posters along the river which caution people about the likely presence of crocodiles in the Gandak’s waters.

Besides, Special Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been stationed at the river’s ghats to prevent any untoward incident, the Gopalganj Police said.

Locally known as the Narayani River, the Gandaki or Gandak river is a popular spot for worshippers who throng its tributaries during the four-day long Chhath Puja to perform rituals related to the festival.

Crocodile crawls into house in UP’s Sitapur

In a related incident, last month, a six-feet long crocodile crawled into a house in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district and remained inside for some three hours before it was rescued.

According to reports, the  incident took place in Madnapur Kalli village of Sitapur district

While the crocodile rested inside the house located barely 100 metres from the Ghaghra River, the family members and other locals ran around trying to get a forest team.

Finally, a forest team reached the spot and rescued the reptile with the help of villagers.

A forest department employee said the crocodile must have come out of the river and crawled into the house.

The locals said that this was the first such incident in the village.

(With inputs from agencies)