Woman trampled to death by tusker in Odisha's Dhenkanal; husband, daughter narrowly escape

In a disturbing incident, a woman was trampled to death by a tusker in Tamanda village under the Hindol forest range of Dhenkanal district early on Tuesday morning.

The deceased has been identified as Sushma Pradhan. According to reports, she was walking with her husband and their seven-year-old daughter to nearby Khuntujhari village when they suddenly encountered a roaming tusker. 

In the terrifying moments that followed, the elephant allegedly dragged Sushma with its trunk and trampled her to death. Her husband and young daughter narrowly escaped.

On receiving information, Bhapur outpost police and forest officials rushed to the spot and seized the body for further proceedings.

Also Read: Tusker kills man in Odisha’s Angul, second fatal elephant attack in 48 hours

In a similar incident earlier this year, another woman lost her life in an elephant attack on 4 January 2026 in the Khumkut area under Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha’s Balasore district.

 The victim, identified as Bairagi Dehuri of Khumkut village, had gone near the Khumkut Dam to graze her goats when an elephant reportedly attacked her, killing her on the spot.

The back-to-back tragedies have sparked panic among residents of forest-adjacent villages and once again underscored the growing human-elephant conflict in the region, leaving families devastated and communities gripped by fear.