A 60-year-old farmer in Odisha’s Puri district was charred to death on Sunday while attempting to burn paddy stubble in his field, said police.
The deceased has been identified as Gajendra Swain, a resident of Sunamuhin village, located under the limits of Pipili police station.
The farmer’s charred body was recovered from the field and sent for post-mortem examination, informed Souymendu Sekhar Tripathy, the Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of Pipili police station.
Preliminary investigations suggested that the fire rapidly spread to an adjacent field where harvested paddy had not yet been collected. Swain, who was working alone, attempted to bring the blaze under control but was quickly engulfed by the flames, Tripathy said.
“He died on the spot. The body had around 90 per cent burn injuries,” the officer said.
