A five-month pregnant woman, Karsini, and her unborn baby have been reported dead after they were crushed by a herd of elephants in Indonesia.
The 33-year-old mother-of-three was tapping rubber trees with her husband Rasum on Sunday, September 8, when the herd of 15 jumbos entered their plantation in South Sumatra.
The wife reportedly tried to scare off the animals, each weighing up to 4,000kg. But the wild animals charged the couple and brutally trampled Karsini and her unborn baby to death.
After the herd moved away, villagers in the Musi Rawas Regency collected Karsini’s corpse from the forest.
Muara Lakitan Police Chief, AKP M Abdul Karim, said: ‘It is known that the victim was five months pregnant.
‘She suffered severe wounds on her stomach and waist, and her womb had shifted to the left.
‘Her husband managed to save himself.’
He added that wild elephants were known to frequent the region in herds of up to 100.
Officers from the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) were at the scene to investigate, he said.
The police chief urged residents to stay clear of wandering elephants instead of trying to scare them away.
He said: ‘Don’t disturb them, don’t try to chase them away.
‘They are only looking for food. If you see an elephant, immediately move away.’
