Five trampled to death by elephant herd in Odisha

Angul: As many as five persons, including two girls were trampled to death in two separate elephant attacks in Talcher of Angul district late last night.

As per reports a herd of elephants trampled four members of a family at Sandha village while they were asleep on the veranda of their house last night. The four deceased are a 40-year-old man, his two daughters (one aged 4 years and another 12 years) and his 25-year-old sister. Residents of Gobindapur in Pallahra, the four were staying in Sandha village since the man was working in a brick kiln in the locality.

In a separate incident, a 70-year-old man of Santhapada village was crushed to death by the pachyderms when he had gone to defecate last night.

The body of the deceased identified as Bhramarbara Samal was    later seized by police and forest officials and sent to a hospital in Talcher for post-mortem.

Terming the incident as unfortunate, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed his condolence over the deaths and conveyed his deep grief to the bereaved families for the loss.

ହାତୀ ଆକ୍ରମଣରେ ତାଳଚେରରେ ୫ ଜଣ ପ୍ରାଣ ହରାଇଥିବା ବିଷୟରେ ଜାଣି ମୁଁ ମର୍ମାହତ। ଏହା ଅତ୍ୟନ୍ତ ଦୁର୍ଭାଗ୍ୟଜନକ। ଏପରି ଦୁଃଖଦ ସମୟରେ ଶୋକସନ୍ତପ୍ତ ପରିବାରବର୍ଗଙ୍କ ପ୍ରତି ମୋର ସମବେଦନା ଜଣାଇବା ସହିତ ଅମର ଆତ୍ମାର ସଦଗତି କାମନା କରୁଛି।

— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) April 19, 2019