Angul, Jan 19:  A herd of elephants has created panic near Angul  town on Wednesday.

As many as 15 elephants from the Kansara and Hindol forest have entered near Susuda village which is a few kilometers  away from Angul College square.

Sources said, a herd of elephants including a few tuskers and calves passed through the Kansara forest range and Sabalabhanga forest and sheltered near Susuda village in the morning.

The presence of elephants’ herd for through out the day has sparked panic in Angul town and the residential areas of the Susuda area.

Being informed, forest officials with the help of villagers initiated an operation to chase out the elephants safely towards the Mandaragiri and Pandapur hill. However, the long tiring effort proved futile when the herd scattered into three different groups.

Effort is underway to drive out the pachyderms into the forest. Elephant trackers have been deployed around the villages to get rid of any unforeseen situation, said a forest official.