ROURKELA: A 48-year-old man was killed after being attacked by an elephant in Nuagaon block under Rourkela forest division in Sundargarh district on Wednesday morning.
The deceased was identified as Laba Singh (48). The incident occurred at Pahadtoli hamlet of Barilepta in Nuagaon under Bisra range.
Forest department sources said in the morning, the elephant entered Pahadtoli hamlet and was feasting on harvested paddy crops stacked outside a house. At around 7 am, the pachyderm turned aggressive when villagers including Singh tried to scare it away. All of a sudden, the elephant charged back and Singh running for his life, fell down and was trampled to death.
On being informed, Bisra forester Paulus Oram along with a team rushed to the spot and drove the elephant towards the nearby forest with the help of villagers. Bisra police later seized Singh’s body and sent it for autopsy.
Villagers of Nuagaon reacted angrily at the frequent incidents of elephant depredations. They said wild elephants, mostly from the adjacent Jharkhand forests, entered human habitations at will and damaged crops and houses.
On December 22 last year, another villager Chandra Goud (50) was killed by an elephant at Banrai village of Ankurpali under Birmitrapur forest range.
At least 10 villagers have been killed by elephants in Rourkela forest division since September 26, 2025.