10 November,2024 10:41 PM IST | Surajpur (Chhattisgarh) | PTI
Representational Pic/File/iStock
Two children were trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants in Chhattisgarh's Surajpur district, a forest official said on Sunday.
The incident occurred on Saturday night on Tongtaiyya hill near Maheshpur village under Ramanujnagar forest range, the official said.
He said the victims, Dishu (11) and his sister Kajal (5), belonged to the Pando tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group, he said.
As per preliminary information, a herd of 11 elephants attacked a hut on the hill. While the parents managed to escape, the tuskers trampled the children to death, he said.
ALSO READ
Cops take custody of Raipur man citing Sallu-Baba-SRK link
Good governance conference begins in Raipur; Chhattisgarh minister hails PM's leadership
Sold newborn from Odisha’s Bolangir traced in Chhattisgarh's Raipur: Official
Elephant calf found dead in pond in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh dist
Three Chhattisgarh govt officials held for accepting bribes
Forest and police personnel reached the spot and sent bodies for post-mortem, he said.
The kin of the deceased have received instant relief of Rs 25,000 each, and the remaining compensation of Rs 5.75 lakh each will be disbursed after formalities, the official said.
Following the attack, four other huts on the hill were vacated, and residents were shifted to Premnagar, he said, adding that efforts were underway to chase the herd away.
Human-elephant conflicts in the state, particularly in the northern part, have been a cause of concern for the last decade. The menace has gradually been spreading to districts in the central region.
The districts facing the menace are Surguja, Raigarh, Korba, Surajpur, Mahasamund, Dhamtari, Gariaband, Balod and Balrampur.
According to the forest department, more than 300 people were killed in elephant attacks in the state in the last five years.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever