1 killed, 2 hurt in elephant attack at Velliangiri Hills

According to the Forest Department officers, a team of around nine devotees, all daily wage workers, had come to the temple at the foot hills of Velliangiri Hills on Saturday night.

“They all stayed at the temple premises overnight. In the wee hours of Sunday, the devotees ventured into the forest area to fetch water from Noyyal river. It is customary for them to offer the ‘holy water’ from the river to the deity at Madurai Veeran Temple at Palladam in Tirupur,” said a staff.

Unfortunately, a wild tusker came their way and began to chase the devotees. The furious jumbo caught three devotees by its trunk and flung them to the ground before trampling them.

In the attack, Arusamy (60) died on the spot while two others – Sivanandam (63) and Duraisamy (60) – suffered serious injuries.

Six others, who escaped from the jaws of death, rushed to the nearby forest check post and informed the department staff about the incident. Following this, the Forest Department officers accompanied by Alandurai police reached the spot and sent two severely injured persons to Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) for treatment. Both of them are critical and under treatment, said sources in the hospital. This is the second incident of death due to elephant attack in a month.

With this, a total of six persons have died in elephant attacks over the last six months. The Forest Department has cautioned people against venturing into the forest area as elephants and wild animals are migrating in large number in search of water with water sources drying up due to lack of rains.