Three wild elephants — two adults and a calf— entered the Kranti block of Malbazar subdivision in Jalpaiguri district on Monday morning, causing chaos among the locals.

A villager died due to suspected cardiac arrest and two others were injured while trying to escape the elephants.

Foresters said the elephants eventually took shelter at the plantations of the Kailaspur tea estate.

The elephants, which entered the Jharmajhgram area of the block around 8am, went on a rampage and damaged several houses and other structures in the village. A cowshed belonging to Shaukat Ali and Hasinur Ali was destroyed, while another cowshed and part of a kitchen were damaged. The animals also crushed a motorcycle and a bicycle parked beside a road.

Ashraful Alam, who was on his way to work at the local electricity supply office, encountered the elephants and narrowly escaped. He abandoned his bike, which the elephants damaged.

Baribul Haque, a worker at the Kailaspur tea estate, fell and injured his head while trying to flee from the animals. He is under treatment at the superspecialty hospital in Malbazar. The jumbos also destroyed his bicycle.

In the afternoon, 53-year-old Baksh Ali from Purba Dalaigaon fell seriously ill while trying to get away from the elephants.

He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Preliminary reports suggest he suffered a cardiac arrest triggered by panic.

Foresters from the Apalchand forest range and a team from the Kranti police outpost arrived and brought the situation under control.

“Our employees are monitoring the elephants. Attempts will be made to steer them back to the forest in the evening,” said Bhaskar JV, the chief conservator of forests (wildlife, north).

Straying leopard

A leopard, which appeared to be sic,k sneaked into the Chak Maulani Harishabha area of Kranti block and took shelter in a local tea plantation on Monday.

A source said local farmer Rohini Roy's family spotted the leopard at the tea plantation. Soon, hundreds of curious onlookers gathered to click photographs and shoot videos. A group of people approached dangerously close to take pictures.

Police had to move the crowd to a safe distance. A team of foresters from the Ramsai mobile squad used nets to rescue the sick leopard. The animal was taken away for medical treatment, a source said.