RANCHI: Two members of a Quick Response Team (QRT) from Bankura in West Bengal were killed and eight others were critically injured in a road accident at Charhi Valley in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district late on Saturday evening, while they were on their way to drive away wild elephants allegedly on a rampage in areas under the Charhi and Ango police station limits.
A nine member QRT had been called from Bankura to assist the Ramgarh Forest Department in tackling the increasing elephant menace in the Charhi area. While the team was travelling towards the site, their vehicle allegedly collided with a speeding container.
According to eyewitnesses, the impact was so severe that the QRT vehicle was badly damaged, triggering panic in the area. With the help of local residents and the police, all the injured were immediately rushed to hospital.
The deceased have been identified as Pintu Karmakar, a resident of West Bengal, and Shahadat Ansari, a local driver.
Officials said the nine member QRT from Bankura district had reached Hazaribagh at the request of the Ramgarh Forest Department and was deployed to control the growing elephant menace in the Charhi area.
Following the accident, all the injured and the deceased were taken to Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College Hospital in Hazaribagh.
Hospital sources said the condition of some of the injured remains critical. Those injured have been identified as Dilip Murmu, Rajiv Kalani, Mantu Mahato, Rubin Mandi, Simon Modi, Shambhu Karmakar, Sanjay Karmakar and Pawan Karmakar.
After receiving information about the incident, Divisional Forest Officer Vikas Kumar Ujjwal rushed to the hospital and enquired about the situation.
Expressing deep sorrow, the DFO said the department was shocked by the tragedy, as the team had been embarked on a sensitive mission to drive away the elephants.
“Two members of the team were killed while eight others have been injured who have been admitted to Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College Hospital, Hazaribagh,” the DFO said. “The team was coming from Ramgarh towards Charhi during which their vehicle collided with a container.”
The DFO added that the team of experts from Bankura was coming from Ramgarh to join personnel who were already monitoring the movement of elephants in the Charhi area.
Hazaribagh district has been grappling with an increasing elephant menace in recent weeks.