Elephant blamed for five deaths

Officials in Nepal say at least five people have been killed by a rampaging wild elephant in the past week.

Police in the remote area of Sunsari in eastern Nepal say they have been making fires to drive the elephant away.

They also say local people have been setting off firecrackers to frighten the animal off.

Conservationists say the destruction of the elephants' natural habitat and the disruption of their migration routes forces them to raid crops for food.

This puts them into conflict with villagers.

Elephants are a protected species in Nepal - there are estimated to be only about 100 left in the country.