Dhaka - Wild elephants trampled to death three people, including two children, in far south-eastern Bangladesh as they were collecting firewood, media reports said Wednesday.

   They were trampled Tuesday at Teknaf hill near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, 374 kilometres south-east of the capital, Dhaka.

   Two of the victims died on the spot when the elephants crushed them after knocking down while the third victim succumbed to her injuries at a nearby health complex, said Yunus Sheikh, a vice chairman of the Teknaf subdistrict.

   Elephant attacks in Bangladesh have become a fairly regular phenomenon as their forest habitat dwindles because of human encroachment.

   According to the World Conservation Union, an average of 40 people are killed by elephants each year in Bangladesh, which is home to about 400 elephants.