120 wild elephants invade town
2006-12-19 20:49
Gauhati - A herd of nearly 120 wild Asiatic elephants trooped into a crowded town from an adjoining mountain range in India's remote northeast before dawn on Tuesday, forcing thousands of residents to run for their lives, authorities said.
At least two people were injured.
As the elephants roamed the streets of Hojai, police and wildlife officials fired in the air, burst firecrackers and beat drums to scare them away, said superintendent KK Das.
Das told The Associated Press that the elephants had damaged several bamboo houses while retreating.
The injured have been hospitalised, he said. The town has a population of nearly 100 000.
Authorities took up to five hours to send nearly 70 elephants out of the town, while the rest entered a college playground with police and forest wardens standing guard, Das said.
Authorities asked people to stay indoors.
- AP