SRIKAKULAM: Two tribal women were killed in an attack by an elephant which went on a rampage in the agriculture fields of Eetamanuguda village in Seetampeta mandal of Srikakulam district after it got separated from its herd. The women were in the pineapple fields when they were trampled by the elephant.
According to forest officials, a herd of four elephants was moving around the forest fringe villages in and around Seetampeta mandal. The elephant that was involved in the attack on the two women might have separated and injured leading to its violent behaviour, forest officials said.
According to information reaching here, the two deceased Savara Gayiramma (60) and Savara Bodemma (55) are residents of Eetamanuguda.
The duo went to collect pineapples from the fields around 7.30 am when they were attacked by the elephant. The tusker trampled the women and injured them severely. By the time villagers rushed to the fields, Gayiramma was dead and Bodemma had suffered severe injuries. Locals rushed her to Seetampeta hospital by a 108 ambulance and from there to Srikakulam government hospital after performing
first aid as her condition was critical. She died while undergoing treatment at Srikakulam government hospital.
ITDA Project Officer L Shiva Shankar and Palakonda Deputy Superintendent of Police Prem Kajal rushed to the village.
The four-member herd was moving in Seetampeta and nearby villages for some days in search of water due to lack of water and food in forest areas due to the summer season.
Shiva Shankar said one of the elephants, which is suffering from injuries caused due to electrocution by electric fencing and also from thorn pricks from the past few days, got separated from the herd. "Due to the pain, the tusker turned violent on seeing the women approaching towards it and attacked them violently,'' he said.
Elephant trackers, with the help of footprints, have been monitoring the movements of the herd for some time but could not track the lone elephant as it got separated from the herd, officials said.
It is learnt that the villagers have been taking precautionary measures like bursting crackers and burning rice bran to keep the elephants away.
With the fresh deaths, the number of deaths due to elephant attacks in the Seetampeta agency area touched 12 in the past one decade.