Chhattisgarh: Youth sustains injuries after elephant trampled him in Sakti

Sakti (Chhattisgarh) [India], February 3 : A 25 yr old youth sustained serious injuries after an elephant trampled him while he was trying to take a selfie with herds of elephants in Chhattisgarh's Sakti district on Thursday evening, an official said.
The incident occurred in Bhaludera village in the district around 6 in the evening. The youth has been identified as Durgesh Singh Sidaar. He is undergoing treatment and his condition is said to be stable.
According to the information, a herd of wild elephants entered the city from Kharsia forest area on Thursday morning. The herd of elephants reached the electricity office in the city and broke its boundary wall. After that, passing through the fields from the rear side of the office, the elephants camped in Bhaludera village.
On getting information about the matter, the Forest Department team reached the spot and tried to drive away the herd. Due to the arrival of elephants in the residential area, there was an atmosphere of panic among the citizens. The forest department appealed to the villagers to stay away from the herd of elephants.
In the meantime, seeing the herd of elephants, the youth started taking selfies a little far away from the herd, after which an elephant came close to him and he fell to the ground. The elephant crossed from the top of the youth.
Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Gayatri Singh said, "As soon as the incident occurred, the team of the forest department and the police department present on the spot admitted the youth to the district hospital in Sakti. But seeing his critical health, the doctors referred him to CIMS (Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences) Bilaspur."
The forest department and the police department appealed to the locals to stay away from the herd of elephants in the area and efforts were on to drive away the herd of elephants, the official added.