DEHRADUN, (India): Hundreds of villagers in northern India were under orders not to leave their homes after dark on Monday after two people were killed in tiger attacks, authorities said.

Last week India said its wild tiger population had risen above 3,000 but the growing numbers combined with habitat loss and urban expansion are leading to more attacks.

The curfew issued on Sunday banned people in two districts of the hilly state of Uttarakhand from going out between 7:00 pm and 6:00 am.

Schools have also been closed for two days, starting Monday.

Officials said the first death was reported on Thursday and the second one on Sunday but it was unclear whether the two killings involved the same tiger.

“We received an alert about a tiger in the territory on April 10. We are continuously monitoring the area,” forest officer Swapnil Anirudh told AFP.

“Our armed staff are also on the scene... This area has a low number of wild prey, so humans and cattle are easy targets,” Anirudh said.

At least 108 people were killed in tiger attacks in India between 2019 and mid-2021, the government said last year.

Conservationists blame the rapid expansion of human settlements around forests and key wildlife corridors for an increase in man-animal conflict.