Two persons were killed in the attack of wild elephants in Coimbatore and the Nilgiris districts on Sunday (October 25, 2026) and Saturday (October 24, 2026).
In the first incident, an unidentified woman aged about 60 was trampled to death by a wild elephant at Kovilkadu area within the limits of the Pollachi forest range of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve on Sunday. The incident took place around 4 a.m. and the Forest Department staff alerted the jurisdictional police who shifted the body to the Government Hospital at Vettaikaranpudur. Further investigation was on to trace the identity of the deceased.
In another incident, a tea estate worker was trampled to death by a wild elephant near Kotagiri in the Nilgiris on Saturday. The deceased was identified as M. Duraisamy (59), a resident of Pathimattam in Konavakorai village, who was employed at a private tea estate. According to the Forest Department, an elephant that was standing in thickets attacked Duraisamy when he was heading to the tea factory around 8.15 p.m. for night shift duty. He suffered severe injuries in the attack and was shifted to the Government Hospital at Kotagiri. However, he died without responding to treatment around 9 p.m.
The Forest Range Officer of Kotagiri range handed over an immediate financial assistance of ₹50,000 to the family of the deceased. Frontline staff of the Forest Department were deployed in the locality to monitor movement of elephants.
Tusker found dead in Masinagudi
An adult male wild elephant was found dead at Kurumbar Pallam area falling under the Mavanalla beat of the Masinagudi forest range in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) on Saturday. Frontline staff of the Forest Department spotted the carcass during a routine patrol around 2.30 p.m. Its tusks were intact. The post-mortem examination on the carcass was held under the supervision of MTR authorities on Sunday. The cause of death of the animal was yet to be ascertained.
Published - October 25, 2026 06:10 pm IST