Panic prevailed in several villages under the Sundargarh Sadar Forest Range when an elderly person was killed while a couple also suffered critical injuries in an elephant attack in two separate incidents on Saturday night.
The elderly man of Kotingidihi village was crushed to death by a jumbo when he was sleeping in a Mandap. He was identified as Sankara Tanti. The jumbo broke into the Mandap and killed him.
Besides, the elephant attacked a couple of Hamirpur village injuring them critically. Kumoromoni Sahu and his wife Padmini were sleeping when the jumbo attacked their house. When the duo tried to flee, the pachyderm attacked them. The couple was rushed to a nearby hospital and later shifted to the VIMSAR in Burla after their conditions deteriorated. After attacking the couple, the elephant marched towards to Hatupani village and damaged many houses and a school.
“The elephant has come from Jharkhand. Our officials have kept a track on its movement. Steps are being taken to ensure safety of the villagers. We would capture elephant soon,” said Range Officer Ranendra Kumar Swain.