Villagers Climb Rooftops to Escape as Herd Enters Barki Puna
Key Points:
- One woman dies on the spot, another critically injured in attack
- Herd of nearly a dozen elephants enters Barki Puna village
- Villagers demand permanent measures against recurring elephant menace
RAMGARH – A herd of wild elephants created panic in Barki Puna village on Monday morning. The village falls under the Rajrappa police station area of Ramgarh district.
Around a dozen elephants entered the village early in the day. Villagers scrambled for safety as the animals moved through several parts of the settlement.
The elephants trampled two women during the rampage. One of them died on the spot, while the other suffered serious injuries.
Treatment for the injured woman was continuing at the time of reporting. Meanwhile, several residents climbed onto rooftops to escape the approaching herd.
Locals said the elephants entered the village suddenly in the morning hours. They then began rampaging through multiple areas before the two women were caught in their path.
The forest department has since been informed about the incident. A team is expected to work on driving the herd out of the village and ensuring residents’ safety.
Villagers said wild elephants have posed a persistent threat in Ramgarh district for several years now. However, incidents of herds entering villages have continued unabated, they said.
Residents added that such intrusions regularly put lives and property at risk. They have demanded permanent relief from the elephant menace and stronger security arrangements in affected areas.
The incident adds to a series of recent accidents and natural hazards reported across Jharkhand. A container recently overturned onto an auto-rickshaw in Latehar, killing six people.
Heavy rain has also triggered flood concerns in parts of the state this month. Water levels rose sharply at the Galudih barrage, prompting an alert for riverbank residents.
A separate accident earlier this month left several pilgrims injured on a highway. A bus carrying kanwariyas met with a collision with a truck in Koderma, killing three people.
Elsewhere, a train mishap was narrowly averted in another district recently. Eleven wagons of a freight train derailed in Palamu without major casualties.
