A wild elephant killed a woman in Sanabanki village under Turekela police limits, sparking fear and anger among residents.
The victim, identified as Mandar Putel, was sleeping inside her house with her husband, father-in-law, and three children when the elephant broke into the house. The animal trampled her while others narrowly escaped.
For the past week, a herd of nearly 30 elephants from Nuapada district has created panic in Turekela block. The herd stays in the forest during the day and enters villages at night, damaging houses and crops.
On Wednesday night, the elephants entered Sanabanki village after residents had finished dinner. They broke into Putel’s house and attacked while the family slept. Terrified relatives ran to nearby homes to save themselves.
Forest officials later reached the spot, recovered the body, and conducted a post-mortem in the presence of the local Tehsildar. Authorities handed over the body to the family and announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 10 lakh.
Villagers alleged that despite repeated elephant incursions over the past seven days, the Bongomunda forest range failed to take steps to drive the herd away. They claimed negligence led to the death and demanded immediate action to protect lives and property.
