As many as six elephants were successfully rescued after they were stranded in a man-made pond in Assam’s Goalpara, officials said on Sunday.

The incident took place at Chaibari near Lakhipur in the Goalpara district of Assam on Saturday.

Officials from the forest department said that the elephants were stuck for a long time after venturing into the pond.

They said that staff from the Goalpara Forest Division reached the spot after receiving information of a herd of elephants stranded in the pond.

They were evacuated after digging out an escape route with the help of heavy machinery, officials added.

The Forest Department said, “Six elephants were stranded in a man-made pond at Chaibari, Lakhipur in Goalpara district. The elephants were later successfully rescued by the staff of Goalpara Forest Division by creating an escape way using an excavator.”