An adult wild elephant died from electrocution by an overhead high-tension power near a village in Maihar district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday.

This marks the 12th pachyderm death in the state within a few days.

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A few days ago, 10 wild elephants from a herd died within three days after consuming some poisonous substance in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR). Shortly after, an elephant calf separated from its herd died due to poor health in the same reserve.

The elephant electrocuted on Friday was one of the three elephants roaming in the wild in the region.

The incident occurred in the Machwatola village under the Mukundpur range, located about four kilometres from the spot in the BTR where the 11 jumbos, including the calf, had died.

According to Yashpal Mehra, Maihar Sub-Divisonal Officer of Forests, a preliminary inspection of the site suggested that the elephant raised its trunk, which came into contact with a live overhead high-tension electricity line, killing it on the spot.

The official said the incident was reported to the forest staff on Friday morning. He added that a team of veterinarians from Panna Tiger Reserve had reached the spot to conduct a postmortem.