The elephant caught hold of the women and trampled them to death, the official said (Representational)
Two women were killed and a man was injured in an attack by a wild elephant in Chhattisgarh's Korba district on Sunday, a forest official said.
The incident took place around 1 pm in the coal dumping area of the Chotia coal mine, said Kumar Nishant, a divisional forest officer (DFO).
Narsingh Paikra (42), his wife Rajkumari (39), sister Punni Bai (55), and her son Deepak - all residents of Korbi village - had gone to the coal dumping area to pluck bamboo shoots, he said.
They encountered an elephant and tried to escape. But the animal caught the two women and trampled them to death, the official said.
Narsingh Paikra sustained serious injuries in the attack, while Deepak managed to escape, he said.
Alerted about the incident, forest officials rushed to the scene and sent the bodies for a post-mortem examination. The injured man was admitted to a nearby community health centre, the DFO said.
The families of the women have been provided Rs 25,000 each, and the remaining Rs 5.75 lakh each will be disbursed after the completion of formalities, he said.
The forest department will cover the medical expenses of the injured, the official added.
A herd of 41 elephants has been roaming in the Kendai and Etma forest range and villagers have been advised not to venture into the forest, officials said.
Human-elephant conflicts in the state, particularly in the northern part, have been a major cause of concern over the last decade. The menace has gradually spread to some districts in the central region in the last few years.
Surguja, Raigarh, Korba, Surajpur, Mahasamund, Dhamtari, Gariaband, Balod, Balrampur, and Kanker are the districts facing the menace.
According to the forest department, more than 230 people were killed in elephant attacks in the state in the last three years.
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