Madhapur: A herd of elephants wreaked havoc in Madhapur locality under Athamallick block of Angul district late Saturday night.
According to the locals, the villagers spotted the two elephants roaming on Titiritaka road Saturday night following which they alerted the forest department officials fearing for the safety of commuters on the way. Later, the elephants were seen again spotted at Madhapur market.
The elephants then travelled through crop fields of Madhapur, Ranjana and Gadadharpur to reach the forest, it was learnt.
The animals have destroyed acres of paddy along with other crops on their way, villagers said. Apart from paddy, the elephants destroyed onion and banana cultivation.
The villagers have urged the forest department officials to drive the elephants deeper into the forest and issue compensation as soon as possible.
PNN