Fishermen trampled to death by wild tusker in Coimbatore
The deceased identified by the forest department as A George alias Chelladurai from Kothamangalam village in Bhavanisagar in Erode, was residing with his wife at Sambaravalli Pudur in Sirumugai.
Representative Image (File)
COIMBATORE: A 49-year-old fishermen was trampled to death by a wild elephant while he was asleep near the water-spread area of Bhavanisagar dam near Sirumugai in Coimbatore.
The deceased identified by the forest department as A George alias Chelladurai from Kothamangalam village in Bhavanisagar in Erode, was residing with his wife at Sambaravalli Pudur in Sirumugai.
George, his wife, and a few other fishermen had cast their net to catch fish in the water-spread area, on Tuesday night. Later they retired to sleep in temporary tents erected nearby on a small patch of land surrounded by water.
Past midnight at 1 am on Wednesday, a tusker waded through the water to reach the spot and trampled George to death. His wife and other fishermen who woke up shocked at the sight of the wild elephant managed to escape by entering the water. The elephant then retreated into the forest area.
The victim’s body was taken by a coracle out of the water and by an ambulance to Mettupalayam Government Hospital for an autopsy. Following the incident, the forest department officials gave an initial compensation of Rs 50,000 to the kin of the deceased.
Meanwhile, the Sirumugai forest department has appealed to fishermen to avoid sleeping in the backwater area to prevent similar incidents of conflict with wild animals. Also, a team has been deployed to monitor the wild elephant.
