Tusker Dies After Being Hit By Truck In Odisha

Dhenkanal: A tusker died and another elephant suffered injuries after they were hit by a truck on National Highway-55 near Jeevankhol Ashram under Sadar forest range in the district on Thursday.

As per reports, the tusker got stuck under the truck and its broken tusk was seen lying near the spot after the mishap.

While the driver of the truck fled from the scene after ramming the pachyderms, the injured elephant ran away into the jungle, sources said.

Notably, the area where the incident took place is marked as 'Elephant Crossing Zone' by the Forest department and vehicles are advised to move with caution.

Speaking to OTV, Rabi Narayan Nayak, Forester of Gadasila section said, "We were at the spot helping the herd of elephants cross road. The truck was over speeding and the driver didn't seem to have any respect for the elephants."

However, a local of the area alleged that the forest department officials were nowhere at the spot. They even didn't respond when called to inform about the incident.