A wild elephant strayed into a village in east Nepal and trampled three people to death including a nine-year-old boy, forest officials said today.
"It first threw the boy...and then trampled him to death," forest official Tadhi Kandel said by telephone from Jhapa, 275 km (170 miles) southeast of Kathmandu.
"We are trying to drive it back into the forest so that it does not cause further human losses."
There are about 250 elephants in Nepal, including about 100 domesticated ones that are used on safaris by private hotels and national parks.
Elephants are protected by law and anyone guilty of killing one can face up to 15 years in jail.
