A man and his 8-year-old daughter suffered critical injuries after a tusker attacked them at Jaladiha village under the Bhuyan Juanga Pidha forest range in Keonjhar district on Tuesday.
The injured have been identified as Pradeep Munda and his daughter Rashmita Munda of Jaladiha village’s Manika Sahi under Taramakant panchayat. They are undergoing treatment at Bansapal Community Health Centre (CHC). The condition of Rashmita is stated to be critical.
According to sources, Pradeep and his minor daughter had gone on a bicycle to a nearby rivulet to have a bath on Tuesday morning. While they were returning home, a tusker came out of the roadside jungle, leaving them little time to react.
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Before they could think anything, the elephant attacked them. While Pradeep was thrown off the bicycle and fell a distance away, the wild animal first tossed the cycle into the air and then crushed Rashmita under its feet. Her right hand and right leg got fractured in the attack.
Hearing their cries, nearby villagers came to their rescue and rushed them to Bansapal CHC.