Three more elephants have died in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Madhya Pradesh’s Umaria district, taking the toll to seven, while the condition of three other tuskers was serious, a forest official said on Wednesday.

Madhya Pradesh’s Forest Minister Ramniwas Rawat has ordered a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the death of the tuskers and asked officials to ensure strict action against culprits. According to BTR’s deputy director Prakash Kumar Verma, prime facie, the elephants seemed to have died after consuming Kodo millet, but the exact cause will be known after the autopsy.

Four wild elephants were found dead in the BTR on Tuesday while four others, part of the same herd of 13 tuskers, were found ill during routine patrolling, officials earlier said. Verma on Wednesday said so far seven elephants have died. They were part of the herd of 13 pachyderms, he informed.

The condition of three other jumbos was serious and they were being treated, while the BTR teams were monitoring the movement of remaining elephants that were part of the herd, he said.

On Tuesday, Verma informed that four elephants were found dead in Salkhania and Bakeli areas under Khitoli range of the reserve, a popular tourist attraction, during routine patrolling by forest guards.

In a social media post late Tuesday night, Forest Minister Rawat said the untimely death of the precious elephants in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve was saddening and heart-breaking. In view of the seriousness of the issue, officials have been directed to immediately constitute an SIT and take strict action against the culprits, Rawat said.