Two women trampled to death by elephants in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh

Two women were trampled to death by a herd of elephants in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district on Monday, officials said.

The incident happened around 8.30 am in Barkipona village within Rajrappa police station limits when the victims were working in a field. The victims have been identified as Sabina Khatoon (60) and Dhano Devi (37), both residents of the same village, they said.

"The victims died after a herd of wild elephants trampled them while they were working in the field. Devi died on the spot while Khatoon succumbed to her injuries during treatment in a hospital," Rajrappa police station officer-in-charge Krishna Kumar told PTI.

The bodies of both victims were sent to a government hospital for post-mortem examinations, he said.

Ramgarh Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Nitish Kumar said a herd of 44 jumbos divided into two groups was spotted roaming in the area. Forest department and district administration have sounded an elephant alert for villages in Gola, Chitarpur and Dulmi blocks.

A Quick Response Team with drums, firecrackers, and fire torches has been deployed to keep vigil on the further movement of the two herds and chase them away from the populous area, he said.