DHENKANAL: An elderly woman was trampled to death by an elephant at Banikjhar under Sadar forest range here on Sunday.
The deceased, identified as 75-year-old Laxmipriya Mohapatra, was a resident of Balaram Prasad village within Hindol Road police limits.
Locals said Laxmipriya along with some other villagers had gone to the nearby forest to collect mangoes early in the morning. However, the elderly woman encountered a wild elephant which crushed her to death. When Laxmipriya did not return to the village, her family members became worried and launched a frantic search for her. They later found her body in the forest.
Divisional forest officer (DFO) of Dhenkanal Sumeet Kar said locals have been repeatedly warned not to venture into the forest early in the morning. However, the villagers are not paying any heed to the warning.
The DFO said initially, a sum of `60,000 has been given to the family of the deceased. The remaining compensation amount will be paid after completion of the formalities. A herd of wild elephants is roaming in Banikjhar forest for the last several days. Forest personnel are closely monitoring the movement of the herd, he added.