Bengal: Elephants cross swollen river, destroy crops

A herd of 50 wild elephants strayed into the Sankrail area in Jhargram district of West Bengal on Monday, crossing the swollen Subarnarekha river, officials said. The herd, which had several elephant calves, destroyed paddy in Rohini, Rogra and Adhari villages in the area after swimming over to Sankrail, they said.

The jumbos also ate vegetables grown on a vast stretch of land and camped in the nearby forested area at dusk, Forest Department officials said. Villagers ensured no harm was done to the elephants despite the loss of crop and cordoned off the area, they said.

Efforts were on to drive the herd back to Chandabila forest range by quick response team of the Forest Department and locals, they added.