Two villagers killed in elephant attacks in Jharkhand

Jamshedpur: Two persons were killed after they were attacked by elephants in separate places in Jharkhand on Thursday, a senior forest official said.

In the first incident, a 32-year-old man called Devashish Munda was attacked by a wild elephant when he was on his way to relieve himself in the morning.

Munda, a resident of Indbani village under the jurisdiction of Shyamsundarpur police station in East Singhbhum district was seriously injured by the tusker, the official said, adding that he died while he was being taken to a hospital.

In another incident, a 36-year-old villager was trampled to death by an elephant in Rasunia village under the jurisdiction of Chandil police station in Seraikela-Kharsawan district, the official said.

The incident happened around 6 am when Samal Murmu and other villagers were trying to chase an elephant away from a paddy field. The elephant in turn attacked Murmu.

He tried to run away but the wild animal caught him and trampled him to death, the official said.

Divisional Forest Officer Saba Alam Ansari said both the bodies were recovered and sent for post-mortem examination.

The forest department has provided immediate monetary relief to the families of both the deceased, he said.