Jajpur: All schools in Korei block in Jajpur district were declared shut on Friday in view of the havoc caused by a herd of wild elephants in the region for the past two days.
Collector Ranjan Das gave the order for closing down all primary and high schools in Korei block for the day in view of the safety of children.
“After getting confirmation from the District Education Officer (DEO) on Friday morning, we suspended classes. A herd of elephants has strayed into Korei block and the pachyderms have been roaming in human habitation for couple of days. For the safety of schoolchildren, the Collector directed the closure of all schools,” said Siddharth Patnaik, principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Vyasanagar,
On Thursday, two persons of Godipatana and Radhapatana villages were trampled to death by a jumbo.
Meanwhile, forest officials have launched an operation to drive away the pachyderms, sources said.