An endangered Asian elephant died on Friday after being electrocuted by a low-hanging high-voltage wire in southeastern Bangladesh, officials said.

The adult male elephant was crossing private property in the early hours when its tusk touched the 10,000-volt cable, local councillor Rashed Mahamud Ali said.

"People rushed to the place when they heard the screaming of the elephant at around 3:00 am," he told AFP.

This area of Bangladesh, especially in the Cox's Bazar district, has for generations been used by elephants as a migratory route for travelling back and forth from Myanmar.

But urban expansion, as well as camps housing around a million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, has reduced their territory and led to growing numbers of deaths both of elephants and people.

"We must take up some major strategies to stop the conflicts between these beautiful giants and people," said Anwarul Islam from conservation group Wildteam.

"Otherwise it will only add more casualties on both sides," he said.