Rampaging elephants kill two in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh, June 24 (UPI) -- A 5-year-old boy and his 7-year-old brother were killed this weekend in Bangladesh after a herd of wild elephants rampaged through the village of Panihata.

The two boys were in their home in the Tangail district town at the time of the incident and were trampled to death by the wild beasts, which destroyed much of the village, Sky News reported Sunday.

In addition to killing the boys, the animals destroyed 10 bamboo houses and damaged some of the community's crops Saturday.

Forest officials in Bangladesh said the natural habitats for the pachyderms are becoming increasingly smaller as the regional human population continues to expand.

Currently only 17.5 percent of the nation, which is one of the most densely-populated regions of the world, is covered by forests.

Sky News said that with 300 wild elephants living in that limited amount of forest area, 15 people are killed each year on average by the mammals.