BARGARH : A pall of gloom descended on Turcha village in Bargarh’s Padampur range after two local women were trampled to death by an elephant in the wee hours of Wednesday.
The deceased were identified as Ketaki Sahu (42) and Kumudini Sahu (50). The tragic incident took place at around 5 am.
Sources said both the women had gone to the nearby forest to collect mahua flowers. When they were busy collecting the flowers, a tusker attacked them, killing Ketaki on the spot. Kumudini tried to escape but the elephant reportedly caught hold of her with its trunk and trampled her.
When the duo did not return home, their family members became worried. Later, villagers went to the forest and found the women with critical injuries. They were rushed to Gaisilet primary health centre where Ketaki was declared brought dead. Kumudini was referred to VIMSAR, Burla due to the severity of her injuries. However, she succumbed on way.
Padampur ranger Sudam Jagdala termed the incident as unfortunate and said, “Bodies of the deceased women were handed over to their respective family members after autopsy. The bereaved families were immediately provided with Rs 60,000 each. They are entitled to get `6 lakh each as compensation. The rest amount will be disbursed on basis of the autopsy reports.”
Jagdala further informed that the tusker arrived in Padampur from Balangir range by covering a distance of around 35-40 km. Besides, the elephant is not part of any herd. “Forest staff are sensitising villagers and keeping track of the tusker’s movement to ensure that it doesn’t venture near human habitations again,” he added.
Meanwhile, panic and fear gripped residents of Turcha and nearby villages after the incident despite assurances by the local forest officials.