Keonjhar: Panic gripped villages in Banspal block after a 74-year-old man was killed in an elephant attack while grazing his goats in a forest near Jaladia village under Taramakanta beat of Bhuyan-Juang Pidha (BJP) forest range.The deceased was identified as Buddhadeb Mahapatra.Sources said Mahapatra had gone to the forest near Sunakhani on Monday to graze his goats but did not return home. While the goats returned in the evening, he remained untraceable, prompting villagers to launch a search operation.On Tuesday morning, villagers found his body inside the forest and informed the forest department and Nayakote police around 9 am. Forest officials and police rushed to the spot, recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem.Range officer Nayankant Sahu said the victim’s family would receive an immediate assistance of Rs 1 lakh towards funeral expenses, while Rs 9 lakh compensation would be paid to the legal heirs as per govt norms.Forest officials said repeated warnings had been issued advising villagers not to venture into the forest, as a herd of 19 elephants had been roaming the area for the past several days. Awareness campaigns and public announcements have also been conducted in vulnerable villages.The latest casualty comes days after a person was killed and another injured in an elephant attack in the Patna forest range. The injured person is undergoing treatment. The incidents have heightened concerns over escalating human-elephant conflict in the district.