An elephant in Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district killed two brothers by trampling them, officials said on Saturday. The tragedy occurred in the village of Kersai, which is located under the Tapkara forest range. According to authorities, a wild elephant killed Kokde, 45, and Padva, 43, early on Saturday morning.

The two were attacked by the wild elephant on Saturday morning at approximately 3 AM when they were sleeping in their mud hut, according to forest officials.

“One of the brothers woke up, sensed the elephant’s presence, and went outside to look when the elephant grabbed him with its trunk and trampled him to death. The second brother was killed while trying to save his brother,” said an officer, aware of the incident.

According to an official with knowledge of the situation, police and forest service workers hurried to the location as soon as they received information. Two bodies were found, and then sent for a postmortem.

ALSO READ: Maharashtra: Uttar Gadchiroli Declared Naxal-Free After 12 Naxalites Neutralised In Encounter At Chhattisgarh Border

According to the official, the relatives of the dead will get an ex-gratia of Rs 25,000, and the remainder compensation will be handed once the required paperwork have been completed.

Another official stated that for the past six months, herds of elephants have been roaming the Tapkara area, causing human-elephant conflicts. As a result, forest officers and volunteers have been keeping an eye on the movements of the elephants, warning villagers and advising them to proceed with caution.