Two men trampled to death by elephant in Erode

ERODE: Two elderly men were trampled to death by a wild elephant near Kadambur in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) while they were on their way to meet their relatives and friends in a neighbouring hamlet on Sunday.
A forest officer attached to Kadambur forest range identified the deceased as S Bomme Gouder, 56, of Peria Kundri, and his friend M Sitthu Mari, 60, of Chinna Kundri. Both were farmers.
“They were on their way to Makkampalayam to invite their relatives and friends for Pasuveswarar temple festival in Kundri village. When they neared Makkampalayam hamlet on their bike, a wild elephant charged towards them from the opposite side. They left the bike on the road and ran for their lives. However, the elephant chased them and trampled them. The duo succumbed to their grave injuries on the spot,” the officer said.
Local villagers, who witnessed the incident, alerted the forest officers. “We rushed to the spot and chased the elephant away into the deep forest. The bodies were sent to the government hospital at Sathyamangalam for postmortem. We have registered a case and further inquiry is on,” the officer said. He said Gouder was survived by his wife and five children, while Mari was a bachelor.