Woman killed, granddaughter injured as lone elephant charges villagers; forest officials deployed in Chhattisgarh | Raipur News

The duo ventured out to see a lone elephant near their home, only to be charged by the animal.

RAIPUR: An elderly woman was killed and her young granddaughter critically injured in an elephant attack in tribal Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday evening when they heard about elephant frequenting in the region and the duo went to have a look but the tusker charged upon them.The elephant was a loner, separated from its herd, and was roaming at Kenadand village of the Kansabel forest range.The deceased was identified as 57-year-old Derothia Bai and was with her five year old granddaughter. They heard an elephant trumpeting in the backyard of their house and as they stepped out to check, the animal charged at them.Villagers said the elephant trampled the woman; Derothia Bai died at the scene while the child sustained serious injuries with a fracture in one leg, and was rushed to Pathalgaon hospital for treatment before being referred for further care.Locals and officials said the elephant had become separated from a herd of roughly 27 animals and had been wandering close to habitations for the past two days. Forest department teams and police reached the spot soon after the incident. The department provided an immediate relief payment of Rs 25,000 to the bereaved family and said further assistance under government rules would be processed quickly.“We have deployed staff in the village and increased patrolling in nearby habitations,” DFO Shashi Kumar said. “A lone elephant separated from its herd often turns aggressive. We are monitoring elephant movement continuously and are trying to drive the animal back to the forest to prevent further incidents.”Officials urged villagers to keep a safe distance from elephants, avoid gathering near sighted animals and immediately inform the forest range office or local ‘Hathi Mitra’ teams if they spot any movement.Forest teams are keeping watch on the animal’s movements and coordinating efforts to push it back into the forest belt. Police and wildlife officials said they would continue surveys of the affected agricultural fields to assess damages and advise on compensation and mitigation steps.