Lions Drag Away Teenage Girl Out To Answer Nature's Call, Victim's Half-Eaten Body Found

In a horrific incident, a teenage girl was attacked and killed by lions in a village in India. The incident took place Monday night when the girl went relieve herself outside her home.

An official from the forest department in the western state of Gujarat told local media that two lions attacked the girl, who was accompanied by another teenager. The other girl managed to escape the scene.

"The girls were attacked by two young lions and one of them was dragged away and mauled to death around 2 am," deputy conservator of forest Sunil Berwa told NDTV. "Our staff who were nearby rushed to the spot after hearing noise and saw the lions. "

According to reports, the lions kept feasting on the body of the girl. They left the spot when they saw people approaching, following which the girl's half-eaten body was recovered.

“As the lions charged at them, Rekha jumped into a nearby water tank. However, the carnivores caught hold of the other girl, killed her, dragged her to a neighboring farm and partially ate her body. Our staff reached the spot immediately and tried to rescue the girl but couldn’t. They recovered her body,” Ushman Nanavati, deputy conservator of forests (DCF), Gir Somnath social forestry division, told the Indian Express Tuesday.

The victim was identified as Bhavna Baria. Some local reports said the girl was aged 14, while others claimed she was 17 years old.

“The victim was a native of Methan village in Singvad taluka of Dahod district in eastern Gujarat. Her parents were in their native village while Bhavna came to Dhanfuliya with her maternal uncle’s family to work as agricultural laborer. Her body has been kept at government hospital in Junagadh city and her parents have been informed,” Shailesh Sondarva, a head constable with Vanthali police, told the Indian Express.

Authorities said they are trying to locate the lions responsible for the death of the teenager. The incident is currently under investigation.

Forest officials said Asiatic lions do not have a tendency to attack, unless provoked. Asiatic Lions are endangered species with only a few hundred of them living in the wild in the Gir Forest in western India.