A farmer named Abdul Hamid (55) has died in a wild elephant attack on the Sreebardi border in Sherpur.

The incident took place on Monday evening (1 May) at Hatibar Tilapara, a border area of Ranishimul union in the upazila. Abdul Hamid was the son of Chhamed Ali of the area.

According to the family and local sources, at around 6pm on Monday a herd of wild elephants raided ripe boro paddy fields in Haluahati, a border village of Sreebardi upazila. To save the crop, people from Hatibar and Haluahati chased the herd with sticks and torches. As Abdul Hamid moved forward while driving the elephants away, one of them wrapped him in its trunk, trampled him and left. He was taken, seriously injured, first to Sreebardi Upazila Health Complex and then to the district Sadar Hospital, where the doctor on duty declared him dead.

Dr Md Noman of the emergency department of the district Sadar Hospital said the man had died before he was brought to the hospital.

Rabiul Islam, Balijuri range officer of the Forest Department, said financial assistance would be given as compensation if the victim's family applied.

Sreebardi Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Iftekhar Yunus said the family would be helped according to the rules.

Earlier, on Saturday (29 April), a farmer from an ethnic minority community named Bijoy Sangma was trampled to death by an elephant while trying to save his crop on the Nalitabari border.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.