Woman trampled to death by wild elephant in Jharkhand’s Koderma

A 55-year-old woman was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Jharkhand’s Koderma district early Sunday morning, highlighting the continuing problem of human–elephant conflict in the region , officials said.

The victim, identified as Sita Devi , had gone to a forest near Jamu Harladih village under the Markacho Police Station limits around 5 am to collect mahua flowers when the animal suddenly attacked her. According to police, the elephant knocked her to the ground and crushed her to death on the spot .

Officials said other women who had accompanied her to the forest managed to flee the area and escape the attack , later informing villagers and authorities about the incident.

Police recovered the body and sent it to Koderma Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination , said Markacho Police Station officer-in-charge Nand Kishore Tiwari.

Forest department officials reached the spot soon after receiving the information. Range Officer Ravindra Kumar said the victim’s family has been given immediate ex gratia assistance of Rs 25,000 , while the remaining compensation will be paid after completion of formalities. The Jharkhand government provides Rs 4 lakh compensation in cases of death caused by elephant attacks.

The latest incident has intensified concern in the district, where multiple elephant attacks have occurred in recent days . On Wednesday, two persons, including a woman, were killed in separate attacks in the Mariampur area. Officials said the attacks were believed to involve the same elephant moving through nearby villages , creating fear among residents.

Local villagers say elephant movement in the surrounding forests has increased in recent days, forcing people to remain cautious while entering forest areas to collect produce such as mahua flowers. Forest officials are monitoring the situation and attempting to track the elephant and prevent further attacks .