Two estate workers killed by elephant

Udhagamandalam (TN), Apr 1: Two estate workers have been trampled to death by an elephant near Pandalur, about 80 km from here, in separate incidents, police said today.

Manisekhar was returning home from a shop near a private estate in Attikunna, around 10.30 pm yesterday, when an elephant attacked and trampled him to death, they said.

Some workers alerted police and forest department officials, police said. As angry villagers prevented the officials from moving the body to the hospital, senior district officials rushed to the spot and managed to pacify them, following which the body was shifted to Gudalur Government Hospital.

Even as villagers were arguing with forest department officials on the increasing menace of elephants, body of another estate worker, Karnan, was found lying some distance away from Attikunna, around 12 pm today, forest department officials said.

Officials said he was also trampled to death by an elephant. Some 200 shops downed shutters in Pandalur, demanding immediate measures to prevent man-animal conflict.

PTI