Kuala Lumpur, Mar 1 (IANS): An elephant broke into a school in the Malaysian province of Sabah on Thursday, forcing the eviction of teachers and students, authorities said.

The elephant appeared to be foraging for food at the SMK school in Telupid, a small town in the region, and stomped through several classrooms in the building while people were still inside, as seen in a video published on the Facebook profile of the Sabah Police.

Authorities indicated that this was the second time this year that an elephant entered the educational centre. On Wednesday, 10 elephants demolished a fence to access the premises of the Beluran police station, about 5 km from the school.

A team of veterinarians and forest guards were trying to redirect the animals into the forest and were analyzing ways to keep animals away from residential areas.

Rapid deforestation affecting the ecosystems of Borneo island is threatening the survival of elephants in the region with an estimated population between 500 and 2,000.