Woman trampled to death by wild elephant in Pandalur
The deceased was identified as P. Lakshmi, who was residing in the TANTEA-provided housing quarters in Nelliyalam's 'D' Division. According to officials, Lakshmi was washing utensils in front of her house on Tuesday morning when an elephant, that is believed to have been browsing nearby, attacked and killed her.
Local residents who heard Lakshmi's cries for help rushed to chase the animal away. Her body was retrieved and sent for postmortem.
Following the incident, a group of residents, led by Gudalur MLA Pon Jeyaseelan staged a protest at Kolapalli, demanding that the Forest Department find a permanent solution to negate negative human-elephant interactions in the region. The protesters demanded that elephants located near human habitations be chased away deep into reserve forests and that the department should clear unmaintained sections of tea estate which had become overgrown with vegetation that limited visibility and allowed animals to approach houses without being spotted.
After a few hours, the protesters dispersed following assurances that their demands would be fulfilled.
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