Rampaging elephant kills 22 and leaves residents sleeping on their rooftops as search for animal continues

A rampaging elephant has killed 22 people and left others sleeping on their roofs, in the eastern state of Jharkland in India.

The single-tusked elephant has been on the loose through villages in the region since the beginning of January and has so far taken the lives of over 20 people.

The animal, which has not yet been captured, has been rampaging through forests and villages, with the attacks on humans taking place mainly at night.

A huge search is now underway to locate the elephant, with officials calling the situation 'unprecedented'.

"This is an unprecedented situation. It's the first time such a pattern of fatalities has been linked to a single male elephant in the region," said divisional forest officer Kuldeep Meena.

Meena added that the priority at present is to capture the animal and release it into the wild.

An elephant is on the loose in India (Getty Stock Photo)

One victim was a 34-year-old named Mangal Singh Hembram, who was attacked near his home in Bodijari.

Meanwhile, a 62-year-old man, Urdub Bahoda, was attacked while watching his field in the middle of the night.

Later that evening, 42-year-old Vishnu Sundi was trampled to death by the animal.

Further fatalities have occurred, including the deaths of Kundra Bahoda and his two children - Kodama, six and Samu, eight.

Their mother, Pundi, escaped unharmed with her two-year-old daughter.

Following the attacks, authorities have been using drums to warn people not to go outdoors or sleep outside while the elephant is on the loose.

The priority is to capture the animal and release it into the wild (Getty Stock Photo)

Meena explained that the animal could be in its mating season, in which male elephants can experience heightened levels of aggression.

Meanwhile, Aditya Narayan, divisional forest officer of Chaibasa district, has said that three attempts had already been made to tranquillise the elephant but all had been unsuccessful.

“Our team is on high alert, and efforts to tranquillise it will be resumed. Villagers have been strictly advised not to go into the forests and to remain vigilant,” he said.

The tensions between elephants and humans is on the rise in India (Getty Stock Photo)

Narayan added: “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.”

The tensions between elephants and humans is on the rise in India, believed to be down to deforestation, which has reduced the number of areas in which they can migrate.

Meanwhile, more than 2,800 people in India have died from encounters with elephants.