Man killed in elephant attack in Chhattisgarh

A 36-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Chhattisgarhs Korba district, a forest official said on Saturday.The incident took place on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday at Botli village under Kartala forest range, Korba Divisional Forest Officer Premlata Yadav said.A tusker attacked Shivnarayan Rathia and crushed him, killing him on the spot, she said.After being alerted, forest officials reached the spot on Saturday morning and sent the body for post-mortem.

A 36-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Chhattisgarh's Korba district, a forest official said on Saturday.

The incident took place on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday at Botli village under Kartala forest range, Korba Divisional Forest Officer Premlata Yadav said.

A tusker attacked Shivnarayan Rathia and crushed him, killing him on the spot, she said.

After being alerted, forest officials reached the spot on Saturday morning and sent the body for post-mortem. It is yet to be known why the victim was out late at night, the official said.

An immediate aid of Rs 25,000 was provided to the kin of the deceased. The remaining compensation will be disbursed after completion of necessary formalities, she said.

A herd of 38 wild elephants has been roaming in Rampur, Navapara, Barmar, Kotmer, Kerakachar, Nondarha and nearby villages within the jurisdiction of the Kartala forest range for the last month, she said.

The villagers are being alerted about the presence of wild elephants in their area. The villagers' contact numbers have been linked to the 'Gaj Sanket' app (designed to alert forest rangers and villagers about the presence of elephants), the official said, adding that the location of the elephants is also being tracked through thermal drones.

Human-elephant conflicts have become a cause for concern in Chhattisgarh in the last decade, especially in the northern parts. The most affected districts are Raigarh, Korba, Surajpur, Balrampur and Jashpur.

According to forest officials, nearly 320 people have died in elephant attacks in the state in the last five years.

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