Elephants kill man, destroy homes in Bangladesh

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They said the elephants stormed into different villages near a forest about 400 km (250 miles) southeast of the capital Dhaka on Wednesday.

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh (Reuters) - One man was killed and another injured in attacks by wild elephants that strayed into villages and trampled homes and crops in Bangladesh, police said on Thursday.

They said the elephants stormed into different villages near a forest about 400 km (250 miles) southeast of the capital Dhaka on Wednesday.

The victims were working in their fields when the elephants came out of the forest, witnesses told police.

Attacks by elephant have become frequent in recent years, as their forest habitats shrink due to encroachment by people, forest officials say.

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On average, 15 people are killed by elephants in Bangladesh each year.

One of the world's most densely populated nations, Bangladesh has forest cover of only 17.5 percent. There are around 400 elephants in the country -- including 300 in the wild.

(Reporting by Mohammad Nurul Islam; Writing by Nizam Ahmed; Editing by David Fogarty)