Straying elephants trample two villagers to death in two districts of Jharkhand

Jamshedpur: Two villagers were trampled to death in separate elephant attacks in two places in two districts, forest officials said on Monday.In the first incident, Muni Ram Gorai, 50, was trampled to death by an elephant in Kukru village under Chandil forest range in Seraikela-Kharsawan district on Sunday. Gorai was heading home in the evening when he came face to face with an adult elephant.He tried to run away but could not escape, according to a preliminary investigation. His body was recovered early on Monday after villagers spotted it in the field and alerted forest range officials.In a separate incident, 72-year-old Dulari Murmu of Chowtia village under Chakulia police station limits in East Singhbhum district was trampled to death by an elephant early on Monday. The elderly woman was walking at a distance from her house when the elephant suddenly attacked and killed her, forester Kalyan Prasad said. In both the incidents, elephants that have migrated to Jharkhand from Bengal have caused the fatalities, officials said.“An ex gratia of Rs 50,000 each has been handed over to the bereaved families for conducting the last rites, while the remaining amount will be given after completing the legal formalities,” Jamshedpur DFO Saba Alam said. Forest officials said quick response teams (QRT) have been deployed in Kukru and Chowtia.