Coimbatore: In the latest of incidents of elephant attacks in Coimbatore, a 55-year-old woman was trampled to death by a wild tusker at Karamadai, on the city outskirts, on ThursdayÂmorning.
This incident comes just three weeks after a 56-year-old railway staffer was trampled to death by a wild tusker near MaruÂdamalai. The marÂaÂuÂding elephants have killed 16 people so far this year instilling a sense of panic among villagers living on the forest borders that has not gone away.
In the latest incident, Renguthai, wife of RamaÂkrishnan, a farmer from Kendayapalayam in KaraÂmadai, was walking to her farm around 7am, when a wild elephant charged at her.
“The pachyderm, which was part of a five-member herd including two calves, had attacked the woman on a narrow pathway. Though she tried to run away, the pachyderm chased and lifted her by its trunk and threw her down.
Hearing her cry for help, the villagers gathered and rushed her to a private hospital, where she succumbed to injuries without responding to treatment,” said KaraÂmadai Forest Ranger L. Desappan.
The elephant herds were on their move in MaruÂthur-Nellithurai area, as it happens to be the migrÂaÂtion season. The forest department staff accompanied by local people drove away the elephant herd into the forest cover by bursting crackers and by drumming. The incident happened just three kilometers from the reserve forest area.
In another incident, a 42-year-old woman was attacked by a wild elephant at Kurunthamalai in Mettupalayam, while she was walking near the forest boundaryon Wednesday evening.
“Parvathi was walking after service at an ‘ashram’ in KurunÂthaÂmalai foothills on WednesÂday night, when an elephant charged at her. The elephant lifted her by its trunk and flung her down,” forest department staff said. She is now undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Mettupalayam.
