Tusker tramples woman to death in Odisha’s Sundargarh; 3 killed in a month

Koida: A woman was trampled to death by a tusker yesterday evening at Kadamdihi-Naliadihi village of Patamunda panchayat in Koida mine area under this police limit of Sundargarh, an official said today. The deceased woman was identified as 50-year-old Sumitra Munda, who belonged to the village.

According to the forest source, Sumitra along with her husband 52-year-old Sunaram Munda had gone to the nearby weekly Haat (marketplace) for shopping some household items. The couple was on their way back home when they were confronted by the pachyderm near a maize field.

The jumbo chased both Sumitra and Sunaram. The man could manage to flee from the spot. However, the woman could not run away and was trampled. As the village is located in a remote area, the forest personnel reached the spot earlier in the morning, the department official stated.

The body of Sumitra was recovered by a team of forest personnel and sent to Koida community health centre (CHC) for post-mortem. Koida police have launched a probe into the case.

Notably, this incident has triggered tension in the area. Locals resented the inaction and apathetic attitude of the Forest department. This is the third elephant attack incident, some locals rued.