Three persons have been trampled to death by an elephant herd at Kanivehalli village in the district, forest department officials said.
Two of the deceased have been identified as Mallappa (55) and Muniyappa (40) of Sonnepilla Halli and Abbenahalli villages, forest officials said.
Assistant Conservator of Forests Puttanna said the three persons were working in the fields yesterday, when the herd coming from Soolagiri forest in Tamil Nadu in search of water and food, came to the spot. The men tried to escape but were trampled to death, he said.
Police and forest officials said people of the two villages have been told not to venture out of their homes as the herd could turn violent.
Puttanna said elephants had been causing a lot of damage to life and property in the last six months in Bangarpet and Malur areas of Kolar district.
About five people have been trampled to death in the past five months by elephants, which have been moving into Karnataka from Tamil Nadu in search of food and water.
Officials from Bannerugatta National Park have been deployed to drive back the jumbos to the Tamil Nadu forest.
