Elephant attacks woman and later appears at her funeral and attacks her again

By EpicFail · May 4, 2026 · 1 min read

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A 70-year-old woman in India was fatally attacked by a wild elephant, and the same animal later disrupted her funeral and trampled her body again. In June 2022, Maya Murmu from Raipal village in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district was collecting water from a tube well when she was attacked by a wild elephant that had wandered from Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary about 10 miles away. The region is known for occasional human-wildlife encounters. She was taken to a hospital but died from her injuries soon after. Later that evening, during her funeral, the same elephant returned. It approached the pyre, pulled her body away, and trampled it again before tossing it aside and leaving. The elephant also caused damage to Murmu’s home and nearby houses, creating panic among those attending the funeral. The area remained unsafe for some time. Once conditions stabilized and the elephant moved on, the family resumed the funeral, and the ceremony was completed. Authorities described the incident as extremely unusual.

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