Ramgarh (Jharkhand), April 3 : Three people were trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants in the Gola block of Jharkhandâ??s Ramgarh district on Friday morning, triggering fear and anger among area residents.

The victims include two brick kiln labourers and an elderly villager.

The first incident occurred around 4 a.m. in Banda village, where Dheeraj Bhuiyan and Jugal Bhuiyan had stepped out when a herd of elephants surrounded and fatally attacked them. Dheeraj was a resident of Talatand in Patratu, while Jugal hailed from Kuju in Ramgarh.

In a separate incident in nearby Murpa village, 80-year-old Ramdev Shaw was killed when elephants attacked him while he had gone out early to collect Mahua flowers.

According to reports, the herd -- comprising around 12 pachyderms -- entered residential areas of Ramgarh after moving in from the forests of neighbouring Bokaro district.

Forest Department officials and police reached the spot after being alerted, and the bodies have been sent for a post-mortem examination.

Villagers questioned the Forest Departmentâ??s efficiency in handling the situation. Banda Panchayat Mukhiya Kuldeep Tiwari alleged negligence on the part of officials. He claimed that authorities had prior information about the movement of elephants but failed to take preventive action to keep them away from human settlements.

Officials said compensation of Rs 4 lakh will be provided to the families of each deceased, and the process for immediate relief has been initiated. A part compensation of Rs 25,000 was provided at once, and the rest of the amount will be disbursed later after the administrative formalities are completed.

The incident highlights the growing human-elephant conflict in Jharkhand. Just last week, three people were killed in a similar attack in Markacho, Koderma. Official data indicates that more than 28 people have died in elephant-related incidents across the state in the past 50 days.

/IANS