Khandwa (Madhya Pradesh), Sep 7 : Five members of a family in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh were attacked by a wolf, officials said.

The incident took place at 2:30 a.m. on Friday in Malgaon village in tribal-dominated Khalwa tehsil, nearly 20 km from the district headquarters, Harsud Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Sandeep Vaskale told the media.

"After the family started screaming, neighbours and others arrived and chased away the wolf. A woman has sustained wounds on her hands while four men have been bitten on the hands. They are being treated in Khandwa Medical College Hospital," the SDOP said.

Khandwa Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Rakesh Damor, told media that the injured have been given rabies shots and medicines.

It was not known if the wolf has been captured.

"Going by the purported video clip doing the rounds on social media, it is too early to say about which animal it was. In the video, the animal looks like a jackal to me, a bit smaller than a wolf," the DFO said.

Asked about the police's claim that it was a wolf, Damor said he won't comment on it but added it was the forest department that deals with wildlife.

"Investigations are on. The victims have suffered bruises. Patrolling in the area has been intensified," he added.

The incident comes in Madhya Pradesh at a time when wolf attacks in Bahraich in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh have made national headlines.

In the last two months, Bahraich district has recorded eight deaths, including seven children in a series of attacks by wolves while around three dozen other people were left injured, as per officials there.

/IANS