3 trampled to death by wild elephants

A herd of wild elephants trampled three people to death at Keochia union in Satkania upazila of Chittagong yesterday.

The incident occurred when enthusiastic locals surrounded and agitated the herd of around 14 wild elephants in Temuhuni Beel, a vast arable field where the herd came down from the hills southeast of the area.

The dead are Mahbubul Alam Talukder, 45, son of Abul Hossain Talukder of Keochia union, Md Shakil, 13, son of Md Forkan of Kaliais union and Md Shahadat, 30, son of Amir Hosain of Nalua union.

Quoting eyewitnesses, police said a large number of people from neighbouring areas gathered near the field to watch the herd that roamed around the place.

The first victim, Mahbubul, died when he along with other villagers went close to the herd to take photos in their mobile phones and hurled brick chips at them.

Golam Kibria, sub-inspector of Satkania Police Station, said Mahbubul and other villagers took pictures and hurled brick chips at the herd. Infuriated, the elephants chased them and trampled Mahbubul who died on the spot around 11:00am.

Later, the villagers tried to drive the herd away with torches around 12:00 noon.

Shariful Islam, upazila nirbahi officer of Satkania, said he visited the spot and instructed forest department officials and law enforcers to prevent the villagers from engaging with the elephants.

After the first incident, the herd could not find their way to hills as curious villagers surrounded them. "We asked them to move away so that the herd could leave," he said.

Later, the villagers again surrounded the herd and started taking pictures. The enraged elephants chased them and trampled Shakil who died around 3:30pm. Shahadat died around 6:00pm, police and locals said.

"The villagers annoyed the wild elephants by approaching them and taking photos as well as hurling brick bats at them. We tried to disperse the villagers several times but they surrounded and irritated the herd time and again," said Khaled Hossain, officer-in-charge of Satkania Police Station.

Shakil and Shahadat died while they were trying to take photos going close to the herd, the OC said.

Khaled said the elephants were there in the beel in the evening and might go back to hills at night.