Gonda: In a horrifying incident, a 30-year-old man was attacked by a crocodile and dragged into the Saryu River in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda district, while he was attending the funeral of his mother-in-law.

The man has been missing since Wednesday. Despite search operations involving local villagers, boatmen, police, and district officials, no trace of the victim had been found by late evening.

The victim, identified as Deepak Sharma, was a resident of Greater Noida, and had travelled to Umri village in Gonda district after the death of his mother-in-law, Urmila Devi, who died of cancer. On Wednesday, he accompanied family members to the Saryu riverbank to assist with the funeral preparations. He had gone to bathe in the river after preparing the funeral pyre, when the reptile suddenly attacked him and pulled him into the river.

Looking at the horrific scene, those gathered at the riverbank screamed, which drew a large crowd. Thereafter, local villagers and boatmen launched an immediate search operation.

As per reports, Deepak Sharma had been warned by others to not enter the river.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has since been called to lead the search operation. As of Thursday, Sharma's body had not been recovered and the family continued to await news.