Nakatideul: A 70 year old woman died Wednesday morning after being attacked by an elephant in the forested area of Nakatideul in Sambalpur district, officials said.
The victim, identified as Upasi Behera of Chadchadi village under Chadchadi forest beat, was on her way to collect kendu leaves around 5:30 am when she encountered the elephant near a cashew plantation.
According to forest officials, the animal, which has been troubling the area for some time, struck her with its trunk and trampled her.
She died at the scene.
Family members alerted the Forest Department, and news of the incident quickly spread through the village, sparking tension among residents.
Villagers demanded the installation of an early warning system to alert them of elephant movement and the deployment of forest guards and trained elephant trackers (Gajasathi’s) to drive the animals away.
Assistant Conservator of Forests Ashwini Kumar Behera, Batgaon Forester Manoranjan Pradhan, and Nakatideul police arrived at the site to calm the situation.
Authorities assured residents that compensation would be provided to the victim’s family in line with government policy.
Police have registered a case and sent the body for post-mortem examination at Rairakhol.
