Wild jumbo tramples three to death in Chhattisgarh

A wild elephant trampled three people to death in Chhattisgarh's northern forested region, police and forest officials said on Friday.

The incident took place in a remote forested area late Thursday night in the Surguja district, some 400 km north of the capital Raipur.

"A wild elephant entered Bhelui forested area and killed three men and demolished a few mud-built houses," said S.B. Pandey, divisional forest officer. The victims were Munna Singh, 45, Babulal, 48, and Lakhan, 55.

The officer said that the rampaging tusker has created terror among a population of about 500 people. The forest department has rushed a team to chase away the jumbo from villages.

Chhattisgarh's northern region, comprising of Surguja, Jashpur, Koria, Korba and Raigarh districts, regularly witnesses cases of man-elephant conflicts. Dozens of people have been killed by wild elephants in recent years in the region.

The state government annually pays villagers in the northern region millions of rupees in compensation for the loss of human lives and the damage caused to houses and crops. Sometimes, villagers migrate to safer places for a week or more to avoid the sudden night-time attacks of the wild elephant herds.