Three houses in Chittagong's Banskhali were vandalized by wild elephants on Tuesday morning.
The owners of the houses are Ahmad Chhafa, 62, from Notun Para, Prakash Ranjan Chowdhury, 81, and Prabir Chowdhury, 73, from UttarPara in Shadonpur Union in Banskhali.
The incident took place in the Banigram Hospital Para area of Ward No. 4 in Sadhanpur Union, said local UP member Mohammad Delwar Hossain.
He said that a group of 20-30 wild elephants has been residing in the eastern hilly area of Banigram for the past few years. These elephants, staying in the hills during the day, rush into the locality in the evening, damaging rice paddies, various crops, and houses in search of food.
Last night, they rampaged through and vandalized houses near Banigram Hospital, with some elephants consuming paddy in one of the homes.
Kalipur Forest Range Officer Md Monowar Hossain said that wild elephants annually enter the area seeking food, causing harm to life and property. The main reason is attributed to the cutting of bamboo and flower brooms from the forest for elephant food.
However, affected individuals can seek assistance by applying through the forest department's legal procedures, he added.