80-year-old trampled by elephant

Police said that the old man went to the forest to collect fodder for his cattle on Thursday.  As he did not return home, his family members lodged a missing complaint with the Madukkarai police. On Friday, he was found dead in the Pudhupathi forest area near Navakkarai. On studying the nature of the injuries on his body, and the footprints near that place police and forest department personnel suspect that he could have been killed in an elephant attack. The body was sent to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for post-mortem. Forest department officials said that a compensation of Rs 3 lakh would be given to his family after ascertaining the cause of death.

A 94-year-old man died after falling off the two storied Avinashi Road flyover on Friday here. He was undergoing treatment for prolonged illness at the CMCH. The deceased identified as R Palanisamy was seen walking on the flyover with a tube protruding from his stomach on Friday. A few minutes later he fell over the parapet wall of the bridge. He landed on the underpass and succumbed to head injuries, said shocked eye witnesses. Police suspect that the elderly man from Rayappapuram on the Thadagam Road could have either lost balance and accidently fell under or committed suicide, as he was upset over his poor health and advanced age. Police have retrieved his body and sent it for post-mortem to the CMCH.