Elderly woman dies in jumbo attack in Dhenkanal

Mayurbhanj:  An elderly woman was trampled to death by a wild elephant near Pithabata range at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district on Wednesday.

The incident took place this morning when the deceased, identified as Nirmala Mohanta of Ahari village, had gone to the forest to pick firewood. When Nirmala did not return home, her family launched a frantic search and later found her body in jungle.

Although there were no witnesses in the incident, circumstantial evidences suggested that she must have been attacked by a tusker.

In yet another man-animal conflict reported on Tuesday, a youth was killed after being attacked by an elephant in Manchabandha reserve forest of Pithabata Range.

The deceased youth Bisu Dehuri from Nuapursattampur village under KC Pur police outpost had gone to collect wild berries from the jungle when he was trampled by the jumbo.

Both the incidents have triggered resentment among the locals while they have alleged that the forests officials have failed to trace the movement of wild elephants and inform them in advance.