In a incident on Wednesday in Kallar, near Munnar in Idukki district, an autorickshaw overturned after being struck by an elephant fleeing from another tusker. According to forest officials, four people sustained injuries in the mishap, one of whom was seriously hurt.
The incident took place in the morning as the injured people, all sanitation workers, were en route to the waste dumping yard in Kallar, according to officials. They noted that the yard is unfenced and attracts wild animals due to its status as a food source.
"Two elephants were present in the area since Tuesday and we had conveyed this information. The elephants got into a fight with each other and after that, one of them fled from there. While fleeing, it accidentally turned over the autorickshaw the sanitation workers were travelling in," a forest official said.
According to officials, one of the four injured individuals, a woman, is in serious condition with a fractured leg, while the others suffered minor injuries. The elephants involved in the incident have since been driven back into the forest. Additionally, officials stated that the local panchayat has been urged multiple times to install a fence around the waste dumping yard, but no action has been taken to date.