Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu): In a tragic incident, a youth was killed in an elephant attack while the tusker was being chased by a group of youth in Tamil Nadus' Coimbatore on Sunday.
The incident occurred at around 8 pm on Sunday when a rogue elephant, which was on loose in the area was being chased away by a group of youth at Viraliyur village of C Coimbatore. According to the Boluvampatti Forest Department officials, the elephant first attacked the local temple priest Bhaskaran while he was walking to his home after completing poojas at the Perumal temple.
The male tusker suddenly pushed Bhaskaran with its trunk flinging him to a distance leaving him injured. The locals, who heard Bhaskaran's screams, raised an alarm and chased the elephant away. The locals rescued Bhaskaran and took him to the hospital for treatment.
Later, when the elephant passed through the nearby farmlands, some of the youths shouted and chased the tusker. Karthik from Viraliyur died tragically on the spot when the elephant attacked him by its trunk, an official said.
Subsequently, the locals along with the forest department in Boluvambatti, chased the elephant into the dense forest area. Meanwhile, a video of the youth chasing away a wild elephant that entered the town has been released and is going viral on social media.
Locals complained that the wild tuskers are on the prowl in the area causing substantial damage to their crops and making the local populace prone to such attacks. The movement of wild elephants has been observed in the surrounding areas of Thondamuthur, Attukkal and Kempanur of Coimbatore for more than 10 days now.
