2 tribal persons trampled to death by wild elephants in Athirappilly

Thrissur: Two tribal persons were found dead following a suspected wild elephant attack in the Athirappilly forests of Kerala’s Thrissur district, police said on Tuesday.

The victims, identified as Ambika and Satheesh, belonged to a tribal settlement in Vazhachal. According to police, the incident likely occurred around 7.30 pm on Monday when the duo had ventured into the forest to collect produce. Their bodies were recovered and sent to a nearby government hospital for post-mortem on Tuesday morning.

"They were part of two tribal families living in makeshift tents atop a rock while gathering forest products. It appears that a herd of wild elephants attacked them during the night," a police officer said.

Authorities have launched a search operation in the area to ascertain if more individuals are missing or trapped in the forest, as members of the group may have scattered in panic after encountering the elephants.

This incident marks the third death caused by wild elephants in the district over the past two days. On Sunday night, a 20-year-old tribal man lost his life in a similar attack in Malakkappara, also located in Thrissur district.

With PTI inputs