Two killed, one injured in attack by elephants in MP's Umaria district

Two persons were killed while one was injured in an attack by the elephants in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria, said a forest department official.

The incident took place on Saturday in the Deori Kalan village near Chandiyapur in the Umaria district.

SDO Forest Department Kuldeep Tripathi said that three teams of 50 persons from the Forest Department are engaged in the search operation in the neighbouring villages.

SDO Forest Department Kuldeep Tripathi said, "We received information that some elephants have entered the Deori Kalan village near Chandiyapur. Our team reached the spot. We found one person dead there. When the elephants were returning to the forest, another person was killed in the Damokhar range. So, total, two people have died and one is injured. As soon as we received the information, our team reached the spot. Three teams of 50 persons from the Forest Department are engaged in the search operation in the neighbouring villages."

The Union Environment Ministry on Saturday said that it constituted a team to investigate the recent deaths of ten elephants in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) situated in Madhya Pradesh.

Ten elephants were killed in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh earlier this week, with poisoning suspected as a possible cause.

The ministry further informed that the State Government of Madhya Pradesh has also constituted a five-member State level committee, to inquire into the matter and submit a report to the government.

"The five-member committee is headed by APCCF (Wildlife). The committee has members from civil society, scientists, and veterinarians. The matter is also being enquired into by the Head of State Tiger Strike Force (STSF). The STSF has combed the forests and the adjoining villages and is conducting an in-depth enquiry about the incident," the ministry said.