Stray elephants destroy crops, triggers panic in Bihar

A herd of elephants strayed into villages in Araria district situated along the Indo-Nepal border, triggering panic among local people and destroying crops, a forest official said.

The elephants, said to be about half a dozen in number, were spotted in Sikti police station area where they are destroying acres of standing wheat and maize crops, District Forest Officer D K Das said.

Local residents ran helter skelter, leading to a stampede-like situation in which at least two people were injured, he said.

He said the elephants appeared to have come from the jungles along the Indo-Nepal border and forest department officials have been deployed to chase the pachyderms out of the inhabited areas.