In a tragic incident, an elderly couple was trampled to death by wild elephants in Odisha’s Kalahandi district on Saturday night, officials said.

The incident took place in Kadomali village under the Lakhbaheli panchayat in Bhawanipatna South forest division. The deceased have been identified as Magun Majhi (70) and his wife Gada Majhi (65), who were sleeping in their hut when the elephants attacked, police sources confirmed.

Local residents were alarmed by the commotion and rushed to the spot, but the couple had already succumbed to their injuries. Forest officials and police personnel arrived at the scene and launched an investigation into the incident.

According to sources, increasing human-elephant conflicts have been a major concern in the region due to habitat destruction and shrinking forest cover. Wild elephants often stray into human settlements in search of food, leading to such unfortunate incidents.

The district administration has assured that compensation will be provided to the bereaved family as per government norms. Meanwhile, authorities are working on measures to prevent further human-wildlife conflicts in the area.

Local villagers have urged the forest department to take proactive steps, including enhanced surveillance and early warning systems, to mitigate such dangers in the future.

The bodies of the deceased were sent for post-mortem, and further investigations are underway.