A 19-year-old student was trampled to death by an elephant at
Cherampadi near Pandalur, about 80 km from here, police said.
A friend of the deceased is critically injured in the incident, they said.
Shafi and Shanu were returning to their room on a motorcycle around
10.30 PM last night after buying some items when the pachyderm
suddenly appeared from behind some thick bushes and attacked them,
they said.
Hearing their screams, people at a nearby bus stand rushed to the spot
and found them lying in pool of blood, police said.
The two were immediately taken to the Medical College Hospital in
Kozhikode in neighbouring Kerala.
Shafi succumbed to injuries and Shanu is admitted to a hospital in
Vythiri in a critical condition, they said.
Protesting against the incident, nearly 150 shopkeepers in Cherampady
and nearby areas downed their shutters and demanded the Forest
department take action to end increasing elephant menace, leading to
death of humans.
Three persons have been trampled to death in the past 15 days by
elephants in and around Pandalur.