2 Minor Siblings Killed, House Damaged In Tusker Attack In Odisha’s Sundergarh

Sundargarh: Two minor siblings were killed by a wild tusker in Odisha’s Sundergarh district when they were fast asleep in their house. The elephant also broke their thatched house.

Sources said the incident occurred at Mundasahi lane of Kantapalli village under Sundergarh district’s Bonai block late on Saturday. The tusker damaged their house and killed the children duo, while others managed to flee from the spot. The deceased siblings were a 12-year-old boy and his 3-year-old sister.

The tusker is believed to have come out of the Tamda Forest Range under Bonai Forest Division in search of food and entered Kantapalli village, sources added.

It may be recalled that earlier a man was killed by a tusker in Rayagada district on Friday night, when he was sleeping on a make-shift watchtower on treetops to guard the harvested crop. The tusker broke the said structure and killed him.

Similarly, in another incident, a Para staff engaged by the Odisha Forest Department to track movement of elephants in Sundergarh district, was severely injured by a jumbo. He sustained multiple injuries and was struggling for life in a hospital in Rourkela.

It may be noted that deaths due to elephant attacks is a regular affair in Odisha. Replying to a related question in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Forests, Environment and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh had informed the Upper House that as many as 624 people died in Odisha in the last five years in elephant attacks.