- WARNING DISTRESSING CONTENT
- Sadik Rahman was driving to work in West Bengal when he spotted the animal
- He got out of his car to take a photo of the beast but got too close to it
- The animal trampled over him and he died of his injuries at the scene
A security guard was trampled to death by an elephant after getting out of his car to photograph the huge animal.
Sadik Rahman, 40, was driving to his work in the city of Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India, when he came across the animal on the road.
It had brought traffic to a halt when it stepped out on to National Highway 31 and Mr Rahman decided to get out of his car to take a picture.
But he got too close and the elephant trampled him to death as shocked eyewitnesses looked on.
The shocking incident was caught on camera by onlookers on a major road near the village of Lataguri, close to Gorumara National Park, West Bengal, India.
Footage, later posted on video-sharing platforms, shows Mr Rahman’s body lying in the road next to the animal which is seen kicking him with its feet.
Sadik Rahman was trampled to death when he got too close to a wild elephant that had held up traffic
After about 15 minutes, it wandered off into the forest but Mr Rahman had already died of his injuries at the scene.
A forest official said: ‘Elephants are common in this area; they cross this highway almost every day and the custom is no one steps out of their vehicle. Sadik dared to confront the elephant and got killed.’
State forest department records reveal that 84 people were killed by elephants last year.