Woman killed by tusker in Chhattisgarh's Korba; second death caused by pachyderm in 48 hours

Korba, Dec 18 (PTI) A 35-year-old woman was killed in an elephant attack in Chhattisgarh's Korba district in the early hours of Thursday, an official said.

Meena, a resident of Binjhra village under Jatga range, was killed at around 5am when she had gone to a nearby forest to attend nature's call, Katghora Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Kumar Nishant said.

On Wednesday, the same wild elephant had killed a 60-year-old woman in Nimpani village under Chaitma forest range, he added.

"Meena's body has been sent for post mortem. Her kin have been given initial relief amount of Rs 25,000. The remaining compensation will be disbursed after completion of formalities. This wild elephant has migrated from Sipat range under Bilaspur forest division to Katghora forest division. It has been roaming in Chaitma range for the past few days," the DFO said.

Since this lone elephant is aggressive, the forest department is continuously monitoring and issuing warnings to villagers through announcements, urging them to be cautious, he added.

As many as 23 people have lost their lives due to attacks by wild animals in Katghora forest division between April 1, 2021 and December 18 this year. Approximately, 55 elephants are currently roaming in the area, the DFO added.

Human-elephant conflicts have become a cause for concern in Chhattisgarh in the last decade, especially in the northern parts. The most affected districts are Raigarh, Korba, Surajpur, Balrampur and Jashpur.

According to the forest officials, around 320 people have died in elephant attacks in the state in the last five years. PTI COR BNM