Boy trampled to death by elephants in Assam

A boy was killed and a girl critically injured Friday when a herd of wild elephants entered their village in Assam's Baksa district -- in the second such case in the state this week, officials said.

Police and forest officials said the incident took place at Orungajuli village under Nagrijuli police station in Baksa district at around 3 a.m. when the herd of elephant came in from the nearby forest.

Although the residents tried to chase away the herd, the animals turned violent, injuring the boy and the girl, identified as Shiva Magar and Sunita Magar, respectively.

Both were taken to a local hospital where Shiva succumbed to his injuries later, while Sunita, who had also received serious injuries, is struggling for her life.

Man-elephant conflict has been on the rise in Assam like elsewhere in the country. The forest officials and conservationists blame it on the decreasing forest cover, which often forces the jumbos to come to human habitations seeking foods -- and the local people are always at the receiving end.

Over 10 people have already been killed due to man-elephant conflict in Udalguri and Baksa district of Assam's Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD) this year.

On Monday, a herd entered a village near the Kaziranga National Park, leaving one man dead and eight houses destroyed.