Elephants on Wednesday killed a widow and a farmer in two villages in eastern Tanzania, an official said Thursday.
Joseph Masingisa, the Makang’wa village chairperson, said the elephants trampled to death a widow in the village who was collecting firewood in a nearby forest.
“The 45-year-old widow of two children was attacked by the elephants as she collected firewood,” said Masingisa.
He added that the elephants also trampled to death a 25-year-old farmer in neighboring Shule village the same day, adding that the farmer was attacked on his way to his farm.
Masingisa said the elephants that wandered from the Mikumi National Park have been raiding villages adjacent to the park, bringing businesses in the villages to a standstill.
“The villagers have stopped farming, children are not going to school. Everything has stopped in fear of the elephants that have been raiding the villages for the past three weeks,” said the village official.
Masingisa said authorities in the affected villages have reported the invasion of the elephants to relevant authorities, including the Tanzania National Parks and the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority.
