KATHMANDU, September 13, 2008 (AFP) - At least six people have been killed in southern Nepal in rampages by wild elephants in the last two days, police said Saturday.

'Five people were trampled to death overnight while one was killed on Friday morning in the villages of Saptari and neighbouring Siraha districts,' police officer Bhoj Narayan Shrestha told AFP.

Police said three wild elephants entered the villages from the jungles bordering India and attacked people as they slept.

'We believe the elephants come inside Nepal from (neighbouring) India. They disappear inside the jungle during the day and come to attack villagers at night,' Shrestha said.

The officer said a team of police had been mobilised to chase away the elephants, which are protected as an endangered species under Nepali law.

Shrinking forests and encroachment on elephant territory has forced the animals to stray into human settlements looking for food, often resulting in attacks, experts say.