Panic gripped locals in a village in the east Indian state of West Bengal as a herd of elephants entered the residential area after straying away from the forests.

The incident took place on December 7 in Jalpaiguri district's Bodaganj village, which is located in the Baikunthapur forest area.

Visuals show the herd entering the village as locals watched in horror.

The sight of the charging elephants kept both humans and cattle on its toes.

At least two cows were seen running for their lives as the pachyderms moved in.

Locals too tried to make noises in an attempt to scare the elephants.

According to reports, the elephants had come from the forest in order to look for grains as the time coincides with the harvest season in this part of the country.

The herd, which comprised of at least 14 elephants, was later forced to go back to its habitat by personnel from the forest department.