A 45-year-old autorickshaw driver was killed and two injured in an attack by a wild elephant at Kannimala top under the Kanan Devan Hills Plantations (KDHP), near Munnar, Idukki, on Monday. The deceased was identified as Kannimala resident Suresh Kumar (Mani).
According to officials, the incident occurred around 9.30 p.m. on Monday. Local people said Kannimala resident Esakki Raja and his family were on the way from Munnar to Kannimala Top after attending his daughter’s school anniversary celebration. Two migrant workers were also in the vehicle. A wild elephant overturned the vehicle when it reached the Assistant Manager’s bungalow area at Kannimala’s Top. The auto driver died on the spot. Esakki Raja, 45, and his wife Regina, 39, were injured and shifted to Tata Tea Hospital, Munnar. Their daughter Priya and the migrant workers in the vehicle escaped unhurt.
Amidst the attack, a jeep reached the spot, and upon hearing that vehicle’s sound the elephant moved from the site. The jeep driver helped shift the injured to the hospital.
Four killed in 2 months
Within two months, four people have lost their lives in wild elephant attacks in Munnar Division alone. On January 8, a woman plantation worker, Parimalam, 48, was killed in a wild elephant attack at Panniyar, near Santhanpara, and on January 22, K. Palraj, 79, of Coimbatore was attacked by a wild elephant near a wedding reception venue at Thenmala, near Gundumala, in Munnar. On January 26, BL Ram resident Soundrajan, who was attacked by a wild elephant, named Chakkakompan, at Chinnakkanal, died under treatment in hospital.
