Tourist trampled to death by elephant in Kerala

A school teacher from Gujarat on a holiday here was crushed to death by an elephant as she fell to the ground while clicking pictures with her four-year-old son. The police Tuesday described it as an accident.

Deepali, 27, was part of a 14-member holiday group from Gujarat's Narmada district. The incident took place Monday evening at the elephant camp here.

"The couple along with their four-year-old son were taking pictures standing near the elephant. Suddenly the elephant swayed its trunk and it hit the woman who fell down near the elephant's leg. In the melee, accidentally she came under the elephant's feet and was seriously injured," said a police official.

Police said she was taken to a hospital but could not be saved.

"Since this incident occurred late in the evening, the inquest will be conducted Tuesday," the police official told IANS.

The official said the body will be taken to the Kottayam Medical College hospital where the autopsy will be done.

"In the evening, the body will be flown to her home place," the official added.

Jacob Cheeran, an expert on elephants, told IANS: "This was purely an accident and not a case where an elephant turns violent. Since the woman fell under the elephant's body by mistake and she was trampled upon."