A 60-year-old woman Saibani Nayak was crushed to death by a tusker at Paladhuali village under Khallikote forest range in Odisha’s Ganjam district today, Forest department officials said.
Saibani succumbed to her injuries at a nearby hospital where she was taken after being attacked by the tusker, informed Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Berhampur S S Mishra.
Forest department officials said the woman encountered the elephant while she had gone to a nearby forest.
“A herd of eight elephants, including the tusker who might have migrated from Humma area to Khallikote in search of food, was camping in the area,” said the DFO.
Forest department officials said a ten-member elephant drive squad was deployed in the area to keep a watch on the movement of the animals.