Odisha: Woman, son killed in wall collapse after elephant strays inside home

According to officials in Sundargarh district, Sukanti, a four-month pregnant woman was asleep in her home with her son and three daughters in Balijhudi village near Barsuan forest

Updated on: Aug 14, 2024, 10:09:53 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A pregnant woman and her minor son were killed in a wall collapse incident after an elephant had strayed inside their house in Odisha’s Sundargarh district on Tuesday night, officials said.

The deceased woman’s three minor daughters were critically injured. (Representative file photo)

The deceased woman’s three minor daughters were critically injured. The injured children were admitted to Rourkela General Hospital (RGH) where their condition remains critical.

According to officials in Sundargarh district, Sukanti, a four-month pregnant woman was asleep in her home with her son and three daughters in Balijhudi village near Barsuan forest. The elephant that had strayed from a herd knocked down the brick wall of her house killing the woman and her 8-year-old son.

Also Read: Chhattisgarh: 2 brothers trampled to death by elephant in Jashpur district

In 2023-24, Odisha recorded 153 human deaths due to man-animal conflict-related incidents surpassing the figure of 148 recorded in 2022-23.

According to statistics of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, at least 2,657 people lost their lives in the human-elephant conflict in the country in the five years between 2018-19 and 2022-23 of which 542 (20.39%) were from Odisha.

Odisha was followed by Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh where the death figure, during the period, remained 474 (18%), 389 (14%) and 313 (11.7%) respectively.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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