Angul, May 4: In a tragic incident, a woman was trampled to death by a wild elephant while collecting kendu leaves in Athmallik block of Angul district. The incident occurred in Madhapur village under the block.

The deceased has been identified as Jyotsna Biswal of Madhapur village. According to sources, she had gone to the forest along with her husband Bijay Biswal and six others to collect kendu leaves. During the process, a herd of six elephants suddenly attacked the group. While others managed to flee in panic, Jyotsna was caught by one of the elephants and was trampled.

The incident took place inside the Nuagaon reserve forest, located around 10 km from the village. As none of the group members had a mobile phone, they walked nearly 4 km to Bijipur to inform the forest officials. The forest guard of the Bijipur beat subsequently alerted the range office.

A team from the Forest Department rushed to the spot and rescued Jyotsna in a critical condition. She was first taken to Madhapur Community Health Centre and later referred to Athmallik hospital. However, she succumbed to her injuries on the way to the hospital.

The recurring incidents of elephant attacks in the region have triggered anger among locals, who have demanded effective measures to prevent such tragedies.