80-year-old man killed in elephant attack in Chhattisgarh

Raigarh: An 80-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant in a village in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district in the early hours of Saturday, a forest official said.

The incident occurred around 5.30 am in the forest near Dhantikra village under the Chhal forest range where the victim, Janakram Sahu, had gone to gather 'mahua' fruits, Dharamjaigarh division forest officer Abhishek Jogawat said.

The victim, a resident of Kharra village, was accompanied by another villager, Jaipal Sahu (42), he said.

While Jaipal managed to escape, the elephant caught hold of the octogenarian and trampled him to death, he said.

Jaipal alerted villagers and authorities about the attack, following which personnel from the forest department and police reached the spot, the official said.

An instant relief amount of Rs 25,000 was given to the kin of the deceased man, and the remaining compensation will be disbursed once the necessary formalities are completed, he added.

Human-elephant conflicts in the state, particularly in the northern part, have been a cause for concern since the last decade. The menace has spread to some districts in the central region in the last few years.

Surguja, Raigarh, Korba, Surajpur, Mahasamund, Dhamtari, Gariaband, Balod, Balrampur and Kanker are some districts facing the menace.

According to the forest department, more than 250 people were killed in elephant attacks in the state in the last three years.