KEONJHAR: In a tragic incident, a bus hit a herd of elephants killing three jumbos on NH 20 in Keonjhar district early on Thursday.
The mishap took place when the herd of three female elephants was crossing the highway near Balijodi under Ghatagaon forest range at about 2 am. Though initially it was presumed that an iron rod-laden truck had hit the elephants as the vehicle was found lying beside the carcass, the Forest officials later confirmed that the pachyderms were killed after being hit by a bus.
Keonjhar DFO Santosh Joshi said the CCTV footage of a nearby toll gate showed that the elephants were mowed down by the bus.
“We have arrested bus driver Rajkishore Mohanta from Barbil and seized the bus. The truck might have overturned after hitting the carcass,” he said.
While an elephant and its calf died on the spot, another pachyderm, which was critically injured, succumbed during treatment by a team of veterinarians.
Tension ran high as locals blocked the highway demanding action against Forest officials for not tracking the movement of elephants.
Local administrative officials and the DFO visited the spot and brought the situation under control.
Vehicular movement on the highway was restored after the carcass of the elephants were cleared.
Terming it as an unfortunate incident, Joshi said if the elephants had taken the underpass, which is nearly one km from the spot, the mishap would not have happened. The three elephants were part of a 10-member herd.
The DFO informed that forest staff had tracked the movement of the herd all through the Ghatagaon-Harichandanpur route. The herd was last tracked at 12 am and perhaps it split into two. While the seven-member herd was inside the forest, the trio came this way meeting the accident, he added.
Two veterinary surgeons were engaged in the treatment of the injured elephant, which had fractured a leg. Though another surgeon from Similipal tiger reserve was called to join the team, the animal died before his arrival.