Two persons including a teenage girl were trampled to death and 10 others injured after being attacked by tuskers in separate incidents in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, officials said today.
At least three wild elephants, believed to have come from Dalma elephant sanctuary in neighbouring Jharkhand, had entered Mayurbhanj district traversing the territorial forest all the way through West Bengal forests, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Baripada, Sanjay Swain said.
One of the three pachyderms yesterday trampled to death a 7th standard girl student, Ambika Jena, at Gambharia under Badasahi police station area and injured another 60-year-old man in the village, he said.
Another jumbo got into Baripada municipal area this morning and chased morning walkers causing injury to 10 persons including six women, three of them seriously.
While Susan Biotha (65) succumbed in the district headquarters hospital, the two others critically hurt were sent to SCB Medical College Hospital at Cuttack, the DFO said.
Now the eight injured were being treated at the district headquarters hospital here.
The tuskers were now spotted roaming in Radhikasala Sal forests, about eight km from here, and efforts are on to drive them away from the area. However, incessant rains since morning was an impediment in carrying out the operation, he said.
The family of the deceased were provided Rs 10,000 each for funeral and ex-gratia payments would be made by the state government to the next of kin of those killed and also to the injured, he said.
Meanwhile, state Minister for Sport and Youth Affairs Sudam Marandi visited the hospital here and assured that treatment expenses of the injured would be borne by the state government.
