Dhenkanal: A jumbo trampled a man and his nephew to death at Galio village under Sadar range in Dhenkanal district, Monday.
Sources said, a herd of five elephants had sneaked into a forest near the village. They stayed there all through the night and damaged the standing crops.
The incident took place when the man along with his nephew was returning to their home after catching fish from Brahmani River.
The pachyderm appeared out of nowhere and before the duo could act, the animal grabbed them up by its trunk and trampled them under its feet.
On being informed, a team from Sadar forest range and a team of Dhenkanal police reached the spot. Police recovered the bodies for postmortem. The forest department officials are trying to drive away the herd from the area.
The villagers are in a state of panic and have demanded the elephants be driven away before the fall of night.
PNN