Rampaging elephant which has killed 22 folks nonetheless on the unfastened: Terrified Indian villagers compelled to sleep on rooftops or abandon their houses for concern it’d return

Terrified villagers have been forced to sleep on rooftops or abandon their makeshift homes over fears a rampaging elephant which has killed 22 people will return.

The young male, which has one tusk, is still at large in the West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, around 730 miles east of the Indian capital Delhi.

The elephant – thought to be in a mating phase known as musth, a period of increased sexual libido and aggression which can last for up to 20 days – started its killing spree on January 1.

Four children, including an eight-month-old baby, are among the dead.

Indian authorities have deployed at least 80 forest officers to find the elephant and tranquilise it.

Villagers run from a rampaging elephant in the West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand

While some seek refuge on their rooftops, a vigilante group has formed to find the elephant

Some villagers have sought refuge in treetops and on flat roofs.

Aditya Narayan, a division forest officer of the Chaibasa district, said: ‘Anyone who came in front of it was trampled.

‘In one family alone four people were killed. It is unprecedented.

‘We have seen elephants in musth in the past, but they’d rarely harm people.’