Rourkela:Panic gripped local residents following the death of an elderly woman after she was attacked by an elephant in a residential area in Rourkela in Odisha's Sundargarh district today. The incident took place in Koel Nagar in the wee hours at around 3 am.

The deceased woman was identified as 79 year-old Purnima Dastia. She was plucking flowers for her morning rituals outside her home when the mishap occured.

As per reports, a herd of elephants had strayed into Barakani village in Bondamunda but were driven away by residents. One of them,however, got separated and came back to the area from Sona Parbat. When locals spotted the lone elephant on the main road near Kendriya Vidyalaya in the city, they alerted the Forest department.

Elephant entered Koel Nagar after being diver

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