Odisha: 2 Labourers Trampled To Death By Elephant In Sambalpur

Sambalpur: Jumbo menace continued to haunt residents in several parts of Odisha as two labourers were trampled to death in their sleep by a wild elephant at Kundernisha village under Sadar forest range in the district on Tuesday night.

The deceased have been identified as Jaylal Mirdha and Telenga Oram from Tangaropali village of Bargarh district.

According to reports, both the labourers were working as bamboo cutters in the village. After a hard day's work they were taking rest in a hut when a marauding elephant trampled them to death. The elephant was part of a herd that strayed into the village last night.

Though the two labourers were immediately rushed to the nearby hospital in a critical condition, the doctors declared them brought dead.

Upon being informed, Dhama police reached the spot and launched an investigation into the incident.

The pachyderms also reportedly ransacked houses and damaged crops in the locality.

Earlier on February 11, a one and half year old girl was trampled to death by a wild elephant at Hatibari village in Sundargarh district.

The incident occurred when the toddler was returning home with her mother after attending a marriage reception in a nearby village.

Last year around 204 instances of human-elephant encounters were reported in the State in which 115 people were killed and 132 injured. These figures could well be one of the highest human casualties recorded in a particular year in any state in India. The figure looks alarming considering the fact that on an average one human-elephant encounter took place in every two days, resulting the loss of a human life every third day, as per a report presented by the Wildlife Society of Odisha.

(Edited by Ramakant Biswas)