Dhenkanal, Oct 15 : A wild elephant trampled a farmer to death in Odapada block of Dhenkanal district in Odisha on Sunday. The deceased identified as Ranjit Rout was a resident of Mangalpur village under Kantabania police limits in Dhenkanal. 'A herd of wild elephants have been destroying the crops in the village and surrounding areas for the last couple of days. On Sunday morning, the 48-year-old deceased farmer was going to his rice field located near his village to assess the damage caused by the elephant herd. Meanwhile, an elephant suddenly attacked Rout and trampled him to death. An unnatural death case has been registered in this regard,' said a local police official. The state continues to witness an increase in casualties due to human-elephant conflicts. Recently, Forest and Environment Minister Pradip Kumar Amat,informed the state assembly that a total of 602 people were killed in elephant attacks in the last five years. The pachyderms have also killed 127 cattle and other domestic animals and destroyed 9611 houses during the same period. Meanwhile, the carcass of a tusker was reportedly found in Koira forest range in Sundargarh district of the state on Sunday. The actual reason behind the death is yet to be ascertained. The forest department officials said that the post-mortem report will shed light on the causes of death. As per information, 698 elephants have died for different reasons in the state between 2015 and 2023. /IANS