Dhenkanal (Odisha), Oct 27: Seven elephants were electrocuted after coming in contact with a live wire near Kamalanga village in Dhenkanal district Saturday, forest officials said.

A herd of 13 jumbos was passing through the village in Sadar Forest Range and seven of them came in contact with an 11-KV line, Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) Jitendranath Das said.

The carcasses of seven pachyderms, including a tusker and five females, were spotted in the morning by villagers who informed forest officials. The mishap happened apparently because of sagging electric wire, he said.

While three carcasses were lying on a road, four others were inside a canal. The incident took place when the herd was moving toward a canal road from a nearby paddy field.

Senior forest officials including Divisional Forest Officer of Dhenkanal Sudarsan Patra and ACF Das rushed to the spot and arrangements were made for shifting the carcasses, said an official.

Another official said the forest department had told the energy department to direct the agency concerned to ensure that the electric wire was at a height of 17-18 feet above the ground.

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Kolkata (PTI): In the heart of Kolkata stands Nahoum and Sons, which has withstood several headwinds, serving its customers with cakes and savouries for more than 120 years.

But the current West Asia crisis that disrupted energy supplies with the chocking of the Strait of Hormuz has dealt a body blow to the city's only Jewish bakery, forcing it to shutter its operations for five days.

A notice pasted outside the shop stated that the bakery would remain closed from March 18 to March 22 due to "unavoidable circumstances".

However, an official at the outlet in the New Market area told PTI on Thursday that the bakery had been struggling to cope with disruptions in cooking gas shortage for some time.

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"We were continuing operation despite limited commercial LPG cylinder supply, but production had to be scaled down significantly. Eventually, it became unfeasible to operate under such constraints, and a temporary shutdown was the only option," said Jagadish Haldar.

"We will open on March 23 and hope to resume full-fledged operation as early as we can," he said.

Maintaining its longstanding traditions, the bakery remains closed on Saturdays in observance of Jewish customs.

Barring the Covid-induced lockdown a few years ago, the temporary shuttering order, however, is unprecedented in recent memory. The bakery had earlier closed briefly in 2013, following the death of its owner, David Nahoum.

Regarded as a heritage landmark in Kolkata, the century-old confectionery continues to hold its place as a prominent destination for those seeking classic baked delicacies, even as it adapts to changing circumstances.

The menu had long been associated with a mix of traditional Jewish and Kolkata-style baked goods and continues to draw crowds for its signature offerings such as plum cakes, lemon tarts, brownies, almond kisses and fish pantras.