19.01.2026 15:21
The fear caused by a stray elephant in eastern India has led to the deaths of at least 22 people. Among the deceased are four children and a baby. Villagers are forced to sleep on rooftops and in trees at night due to the elephant still being uncontained.
Villagers living in eastern India are forced to sleep on rooftops and in trees at night due to the inability to capture a rogue elephant that has caused the deaths of at least 22 people.
Among the deceased are four children, including an eight-month-old baby. In horrifying footage, villagers are seen fleeing for their lives from the rampaging elephant charging towards them.
Many villagers have abandoned their makeshift homes. As night falls, some are trying to take refuge on flat-roofed houses, while others are climbing high trees.
The young male elephant, distinguishable by a single tusk, is still at large in the West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand state, approximately 1,175 kilometers east of New Delhi. This situation has caused widespread fear in dozens of villages.
Authorities state that the elephant is in a condition known as "musth," which occurs during the mating season in male elephants and is characterized by high testosterone, extreme aggression, and uncontrollable behavior. This process can last up to 20 days.
Indian authorities have launched a large operation involving more than 100 forest officials to neutralize the elephant. At least 80 officials are searching the area to locate and tranquilize the animal.
Aditya Narayan, the Forest Range Officer of the Chaibasa region, stated that the elephant attacks anyone who comes in its path.
Narayan said, "Anyone who comes across it has been crushed. Four people from just one family have died. This is an unprecedented situation. We have encountered musth elephants before, but we have never seen them cause this much harm to people."
Authorities confirmed that at least 20 people have died in just nine days between January 1 and 9. The deaths occurred in the Chaibasa and Kolhan regions, which are home to one of Asia's largest sal forests.
Human-elephant conflicts have been ongoing in the region for years. Experts indicate that this violence is linked to the shrinking of forest areas, fragmentation of habitats, and people encroaching further into elephant migration routes.
Another forest official, Kuldeep Meena, described the scale of the attacks as "unprecedented" and stated, "For the first time in this region, so many deaths are being attributed to a single male elephant."
As the entire region is put on high alert, it has been emphasized that the priority is to locate, capture, and safely return the elephant to the wild.
Chandan Kumar, the regional administrator, announced to the BBC that a forest worker was among the deceased and that the families of the victims would receive financial compensation.
The majority of the deaths occurred at night while villagers were trying to protect their stored rice in fields and granaries. This is known to be a common practice in rural India.
Thirty-four-year-old Mangal Singh Hembram was killed by an elephant attack near his home while returning from work in Bodijari village.
Sixty-two-year-old Urdub Bahoda, living in Birsingh Hatu village, was killed while watching over his field.
On the same night, 42-year-old Vishnu Sundi from a neighboring village was crushed to death by an elephant while sleeping outside his home.
In another attack, Kundra Bahoda and two children named Kodama, 6, and Samu, 8, lost their lives. Kundra's wife, Pundi, managed to escape with her injured two-year-old daughter, but later learned that her husband and two older children had died.
Forest officials state that the elephant is young, agile, and particularly active at night, making it extremely difficult to track. Teams are using drums and loud warning systems to alert villagers, and people are advised not to go outside at night.
Initial assessments suggest that the elephant may have separated from its herd. Authorities emphasize the vital importance of locating the animal and reuniting it with other elephants as soon as possible.