Elephant emerges from river, chases bikers and tramples 67-year-old man to death

A routine ride home turned into a nightmare for a 67-year-old man in West Bengal's Bankura district after an elephant suddenly emerged from a river and attacked his motorcycle, trampling him to death in front of his companion.

The incident took place around 8 pm on Wednesday in the Belut area of Beliatore.

The deceased, identified as Baren Tung, was returning home with a companion when the two-wheeler came face-to-face with an elephant emerging from the Shali river.

According to Forest Department sources, the animal's sudden appearance left the two riders little time to react. The motorcycle went out of control, swerved across the road and eventually crashed.

As the two men fell, the elephant charged towards them. While the pillion rider managed to flee and escape the animal's attack, Baren found himself trapped beneath the fallen motorcycle. His struggle to get up and move away cost him precious seconds.

The elephant caught up with him and trampled him, leaving him critically injured. The attack proved fatal.

Following the incident, residents of Belut and neighbouring villages rushed to the spot. Police personnel reached the location and shifted the injured man to a nearby health centre, where doctors declared him dead.

Baren was a resident of Bankuradanga village in Beliatore. His companion survived the terrifying encounter.

The incident has raised fresh concerns about human-elephant encounters in the region, particularly along roads that run through forested areas and near riverbanks.

Residents have urged the Forest Department to strengthen surveillance and issue timely warnings about elephant movement.

Locals have also called for better monitoring of routes elephants frequently use, stressing that advance alerts could help prevent such fatal encounters.

The death has cast a pall of gloom over the area, with residents demanding measures to ensure that people travelling through elephant-prone stretches are not exposed to similar dangers.