Dhenkanal: A tusker trampled a woman to death at Chilataila village under Hindol forest range in Dhenkanal district late Sunday night.
According to sources, Ketuka Samal was sleeping when the pachyderm entered the village at around 2 am. She was trying to drive away the tusker into a nearby forest when the animal trampled her to death.
Forest officials reached the village Monday morning. The locals claimed that the elephant has been wreaking havoc in the village for the past few days.
In a related incident, an elephant herd went on a rampage at Brahmapur under Bantala police limits in Angul forest range the same night. The herd strayed into a banana orchard and destroyed acres of banana plantations, causing severe loss to the farmers of the locality. More than 600 banana plants were damaged by the pachyderms.
The herd also injured a man named Bhikari Sahu who had gone out to attend nature’s call.
A team of forest officials reached the village and prepared a loss assessment report. They assured the affected farmers of immediate compensation. The officials admitted the injured to the local hospital where his treatment expenses will be borne by the forest department.
PNN
