Bhanjanagar: In a tragic incident, at least two persons including a minor boy were killed after an elephant attacked and mauled both of them to death in Ganjam district Sunday afternoon.
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A herd of about 22 elephants has been wandering for the past few days in Galeri forest area under North Ghumusar forest division in Ganjam district. A female elephant of the herd had given birth to a calf in a cashew plantation here in the morning, a local villager said.
The spot was around 200 metres away from Nuapali village. A large number of villagers thronged the cashew plantation after the news of the female elephant giving birth to a calf spread in the village.
On being informed, forest personnel reached the spot. Despite the forest personnel warning people not to go closer to the herd, some villagers became unruly and tried to capture the pachyderms on their mobile phones. All of a sudden, a tusker attacked the villagers.
The outraged tusker trampled the man to death who was identified as Sukuria Naik (60) of Nuapali village. The tusker also threw away the minor boy Ganesh Gouda with its trunk and injured him severely.
Later, the injured boy was rescued by the forest personnel and immediately rushed to Bhanjanagar hospital. The boy succumbed on the way while being shifted to MKCG hospital in Berhampur.
PNN
