Jumbo tramples youth to death

Angul: Jumbo scare gripped the residents of Nuakheta village in Bantala range under Angul forest division after a youth was trampled to death by a wild elephant on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as Ramesh Sahu of Nuakheta village.

Sahu had gone to the nearby jungle for some work when he was attacked by the elephant following which he died at the spot, said sources.

Palpable tension prevailed in the area as no forest officials have reached the spot till the last report came in. Locals have reportedly demanded immediate compensation for the family members of the deceased and urged the local administration to take adequate necessary steps to protect lives and safeguard crops and rice from the pachyderm.

It is pertinent to mention that several cases of man-animal conflict have come to the fore in the recent past.

Earlier on Sunday, an elderly man was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Keonjhar. Similarly, in separate incidents in August, a minor boy and a woman had died in elephant attacks in Kalahandi and Cuttack districts respectively.