Two elephants killed after being hit by truck in Odisha

Two elephants were killed and another seriously injured after being hit by a truck on a national highway in Odisha's Keonjhar district early on Thursday, a forest official said. The pachyderms were crossing NH-20 near the Balijodi area, Ghatagaon forest range, when the iron ore-laden truck knocked them down, he said.

"A female elephant, aged around 16, and a one-year-old calf died on the spot, while another female, aged a little over 16, sustained serious injuries," said Ghatagaon Forest Range Officer Ashok Kumar Nayak. Senior forest officials, including Keonjhar Divisional Forest Officer Santosh Joshi, rushed to the spot and provided aid to the injured elephant, Nayak said.

Arrangements were also made for conducting the autopsy of the deceased elephants. The truck, which had skidded off the road, has been seized, the forest range officer said, adding that the driver fled the scene after the accident but his helper has been detained.