Wild elephant tramples woman to death, injures 11-year-old son in Idukki

Local people are protesting after a wild elephant trampled a woman to death in Idukki’s Chinnakkanal on Monday. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A 36-year-old Mari woman was trampled to death by a wild elephant at Chinnakkanal, under Devikulam forest near Munnar in Idukki on Monday. Her 11-year-old son was injured in the attack, which took place around eight o’clock in the morning

According to forest department officials, Mari, a resident of Singukandam, was leading her son Rekshan and daughter Rekshina to the school bus stop. The children are students of Class VII and Class X at Chinnakkanal Government High School.

The department had earlier warned residents of wild animals on the road and urged parents to exercise caution. Mari and the children had walked about 1.5 km when they came across an elephant and her two-year-old calf by the road. Due to heavy rain and thick fog, the woman did not notice the animals in time. Sensing the presence of a human, the elephant attacked. Daughter Mari, who was walking a few meters behind, narrowly escaped the attack. Hearing the family’s cries, the elephants retreated to a nearby plantation.

A passing autorickshaw driver rushed the family to a nearby hospital, where the woman was declared brought dead. The boy was initially admitted to the Adimaly taluk hospital and was later shifted to the Kottayam Government Medical College. Maria’s body was taken to Idukki Government Medical College for post-mortem.

Daily wage worker

Local residents and Maria’s relatives staged a protest outside the Chinnakkanal family health center demanding a solution to the recurring fatal elephant attacks. They refused to consent to the autopsy and said they would accept the body only after the government came up with a solution. They demanded the relocation of the wild elephants from Chinnakkanal and insisted that the government take custody of the two children. According to local people, Maria’s husband died two years ago and she lived with her mother and two children. She was a daily wage laborer who did not own any land.

After the protest, an all-party meeting was called at the Chinnakkanal panchayat office, attended by Munnar DFO Saju Varghese, Devikulam Sub-Collector VM Arya, Devikulam MLA A. Raja and leaders of various political parties. In the meeting, officials promised to come up with a solution to wildlife encroachment in Chinnakkanal. It was then decided to perform the autopsy on Tuesday.

Financial aid

Forest department officials said the first installment of the financial assistance will be handed over to the family soon. Forest Minister Shibu Baby John said he has directed the Forest Department officials to come up with a plan for the welfare of the children. “We need to ensure that the family gets proper care. Based on the ministry’s proposal, the government will take further steps,” John said.

Devikulam Range Officer Arun Kumar said the department will strengthen Rapid Response Team (RRT) at Chinnakkanal and deploy RRT at 301 Colony to drive wild animals from residential areas. “The RRT will remain stationed in the area from evening till 10 am the next day. Munnar DFO has submitted a proposal to the forest minister regarding the protection of the children. The Chinnakkanal forest officer, who is also a relative of the family, will supervise the care and education of the children and the forest department will monitor the situation,” the official said.

“The department will strengthen alerts and monitor the movement of elephants in Chinnakkanal. Currently, there are 17 wild elephants roaming in separate herds in the area,” he added.

Published – 08 Jun 2026 20:41 IST