A 45-year-old mahout was killed and another mahout seriously injured as a herd of wild elephants attacked them at Balidih village on Wednesday at midnight.

The incident took place as a group of 18 mahouts were trying to drive the elephant herd away from the human habitat in the Chandil range, triggering fear among the local residents of Balidih and Dhunaburu villages.

Those killed were identified as Haricharan Mahto and Durga Charan Mahto, both residents of Jargodih village in adjoining Ichagarh block of Seraikela-Kharsawan district.

Revealing about the incident, Chandil forest range officer, Ashok Kumar said that a herd of five wild elephants had entered near the human habitats on Tuesday night, leading the residents of Balidih and Dhunaburu demanding the forest department to drive the herd away by pressing an elephant driver's team.

"On the request of the local villagers, I had pressed a squad of local mahouts in the evening. Equipped with ‘mashal' and drums as well as fire-crackers, the mahouts were driving the herd gradually toward an elephant corridor leading to the Seraikela jungle from where the herd was suspected to have come. At around 11 pm, suddenly one of the elephants got berserk and started chasing the mahouts back. While 16 of them climbed on the trees to save their lives, two others, including the leader of the team who did not climb on any tree. As a result of the situation, the wild elephant first flung Durga Charan away having caught him by its trunk and subsequently trampled Haricharan to death," narrated the forest range officer, Ashok Kumar while talking to The Telegraph Online.

Kumar said generally, elephants do not come closer to those who hold ‘mashals', but it was a deviation in the behavior of the elephant that killed the mahout. "From the erratic behavior of the lone tusker, we guessed that it might have consumed country-made liquor and under the influence of the liquor it had attacked the two mahouts who were even carrying ‘mashals' in their hands," explained the forest officer.

Kumar revealed that after the elephant drivers were themselves attacked, causing the team leader to get killed by an elephant, the rest of the mahouts fled, leaving their work incomplete.

"As I was left with no other option and without any elephant drivers around, I am trying to contact a team of mahouts from Bankura district of Bengal. I took immediate steps for contacting the mahouts in Bankura because it is not known whether the herd of elephants is still near the human habitat or has left the place," said the forest range officer.

The injured mahout, Durga Charan (40) who sustained multiple injuries in his hands and legs has been admitted at the Tata Main Hospital where his condition is described as serious.