THREE villagers were trampled to death and seven wounded by a wild Asiatic elephant searching for homemade rice beer in India's north-eastern state of Assam, a wildlife official said today. "The elephant went on a rampage tearing apart huts and then attacked sleeping villagers killing three and seriously injuring seven more," M. Rahman said. The tusker strayed from a big herd in the jungle and ransacked the village of Dalokgarupara yesterday morning in a hunt for fermented "chang" made from rice grains. "The elephant herd came near the village looking for home-brewed rice beer. One of the animals strayed out from the herd and did the damage," Rahman said. The injured suffered multiple wounds and were taken to a local hospital 70km west of Assam's main city of Guwahati.