Two septuagenarians died in elephant attacks at different locations in the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts early on Tuesday.

In the Darjeeling district, a wild elephant strayed into Maniramjote of Naxalbari block from the adjoining Tukuriajhar forest. Krishna Bahadur Chhetri, 76, who had gone out of his home on a morning walk, came in front of the animal which trampled him to death.

In Jalpaiguri, Birsa Munda, 73, a resident of Meenglas tea estate in Malbazar block, had gone out of his house around 5am to attend nature’s call when a wild elephant suddenly attacked him. He died on the spot.

Foresters and police teams reached both locations. The bodies were recovered and sent for post-mortem. The victims’ families would be compensated according to the law, said a forest official.

Injured

Raju Mahali, who is from Bhagatpur tea estate in Jalpaiguri, got injured when a concrete wall collapsed on him this morning during elephant depredation.

Sources said a wild tusker entered the tea garden from Diana forest. Mahali was sleeping in a room when the elephant broke a wall. The wall fell on the man. Later, foresters took him to the block health centre where he is still under treatment.