Young Muslim student trampled to death by wild elephants in Buthidaung

Narinjara News, 2 January 2023

An 18-year-old Muslim student died on the spot after being trampled by a herd of wild elephants in Buthidaung township’s San Nyingwei village of Rakhine State.

The victim has been identified as Zahat Tusong, who is a tenth-standard student and belonged to the family of Mamat Sutin, hailing from Wachilla (Khon Tai) village.

The victim student along with another Muslim youth was waiting for the piles of rice in his father-in-law's field at 11:30 pm on 31 December. Suddenly a group of elephants arrived there and trampled him to death.

"When the elephants arrived at the location, both of them tried to run away. One youth escaped but the other one could not succeed. The victim’s head and stomach were seriously injured and finally succumbed to wounds,” said a villager.

The victim’s body was buried at his native village’s cemetery last afternoon.

Earlier, on the night of 19 December 2019, two Muslim men (aged between 30 and 40) were attacked by an elephant at a locality between Ngmmthak village and Aung Lampyin village under Buthidaung township.

According to Ngmmthak village administrator U Aung Naing, both died after the incident.

On the night of 18 November 2021, a Muslim man named U Ao Li Mulla (38), who was guarding his paddy field, was trampled by the wild elephants in Kiinuttide village under Buthidaung township.

On 1 December 2020 too, a resident of Waila Taung village under Maungdaw Township, was run over by an elephant near Dom Chong bridge while he was traveling to Maungdaw town for clinical purposes.

Wildlife experts say that the Mayu mountain range gives shelter to several wild elephants and hence the local people need to be careful while moving around the locality. Often the elephants come to eat the rice plants with grains in the field and suddenly attack the people when they face the animals.