Wild elephant tramples two to death in Nainital

A wild elephant trampled two men to death in the Lalkuan area of Uttarakhands Nainital, forest officials said on Wednesday. Forest department teams have been directed to intensify patrolling in villages and areas bordering the forest to prevent any further untoward incidents, Kohli added.

A wild elephant trampled two men to death in the Lalkuan area of Uttarakhand's Nainital, forest officials said on Wednesday. According to the officials, the incident occurred in the Shah Pathani area under the Tanda range of the Tarai Central forest division on Tuesday night. Both victims died on the spot. Forest department and police teams reached the site upon receiving information and sent the bodies for post-mortem examination. The incident has caused panic among residents. One of the deceased was identified as Bandho Prajapati (75), a native of Jharkhand who worked as a watchman in local fields. The second victim is yet to be identified. DFO Umesh Chandra Tiwari, along with senior administrative and police officials, reached the spot and initiated an investigation. Lalkuan SDM Rekha Kohli said the process to provide compensation to the kin of the deceased has been started as per rules. ''Forest department teams have been directed to intensify patrolling in villages and areas bordering the forest to prevent any further untoward incidents,'' Kohli added.