The deceased, identified as Meenakshi from Devala Atti Thekkampadi in Gudalur, had gone fishing in the Pandiyar–Punnampuzha River with her husband, Kumbili, and her relative, Mani.

According to the forest department, the trio had been fishing in the river on Thursday evening, in a densely forested stretch along the Tamil Nadu–Kerala border. While returning through a dark forest pathway towards a private estate where they planned to stay overnight, they were suddenly confronted by a wild elephant.

“Kumbili and Mani managed to escape, but Meenakshi was caught by the elephant, which flung her to the ground and trampled her to death,” a forest department official said.

Following information about the incident, forest personnel launched a late-night search operation near the riverbank and recovered the body. It was later sent to the Government Hospital in Ooty for a post-mortem examination.

Forest officials noted that the trio had entered the restricted forest area for fishing despite the prohibition of public entry into the region due to frequent movement of wild elephants and other animals. Officials suspect that the trio may not have noticed the elephant, which was reportedly feeding on jackfruits from a nearby tree, due to poor visibility in the dark. Further investigation is being carried out by ‘O’ Valley Forest Range Officer C Veeramani and the Devala police.