At least four people were killed and several others injured Sunday after wild elephants attacked them in India's eastern state of West Bengal, officials said.

The elephants according to officials strayed into human habitation at Burdwan district, about 110 km north of Kolkata city, the capital of West Bengal.

"Three people who were out in the fields on farming work were killed when elephants attacked them early in the morning today at Naasirgraam near Bhaataar, while as the fourth one was killed at Monteswar," an official said. "Several people were injured in the attacks."

Following the attacks, panic gripped in the villages.

India's state-run broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) quoting district officials said three large groups of elephants have entered Burdwan district from Bankura jungles.

The broadcaster said forest department has rushed in trained groups of elephants and mahouts to drive back the straying herds of wild elephants.

Wildlife expert said mass urbanization, denudation of forests, encroachment of forestland, vanishing of buffer zones in the forests and extraction of medicinal plants are some of the reasons responsible for increasing conflict between humans and wild animals.

Every year many people are killed or injured in the growing human-animal conflict across India.

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