BHAWANIPATNA/BARIPADA: Two persons including a seven-year-old boy were killed in separate elephant attacks in Kalahandi and Mayurbhanj districts in the last 24 hours.
In Kalahandi, Rabi Majhi (7) of Trilochanpur panchayat under Lanjigarh block was reportedly trampled to death by a tusker on Monday. The incident took place at around 8.30 am.
Sources said Rabi and his brother Samri Majhi (5) were on way to meet their father who was engaged in shifting cultivation in the nearby forest. All of a sudden, a tusker attacked them, killing Rabi on the spot. Samri managed to escape with minor injuries.
On being informed, local forest officials and Bijepur police reached the spot for investigation. Rabi’s body was seized and sent to the hospital for postmortem.
Locals claimed a single tusker was roaming in the forest extending from Salpakna to Amguda village, destroying crops and damaging houses in the area.
Similarly, a 54 year-old man died after being attacked by a tusker in Betnoti area of Mayurbhanj. The deceased was identified as Ashok Tudu of Mundabani village within Betnoti police limits.
Sources said Ashok had gone to Phulbadia forest to collect firewood on Sunday afternoon. At around 2 pm, he came face-to-face with a tusker which trampled him. A few villagers, who were also collecting firewood in the forest, rescued him in a critical condition.
Ashok was rushed to Kishantandi hospital and later shifted to Pandit Raghunath Murmu medical college and hospital after his condition deteriorated. However, he succumbed to his injuries during treatment on Monday.
Betnoti police registered an unnatural death case and seized the body for postmortem. Deputy range officer of Betnoti Dhrubendranath Nayak said compensation will be provided to the family of the deceased person after completion of necessary formalities.