Elephant tramples 4 including girl in Tamil Nadu

Four persons, including a minor girl, were today killed near here in an attack by a wild elephant which was later captured by forest personnel in a swift operation.
The pachyderm was tranquilised and captured with the help of a 'kumki' (trained) elephant hours after it went on the killing spree in Vellalore area on the city outskirts, the police said.
Two others were injured when the elephant, which had strayed into human habitations from Madukkarai Forest some days ago, attacked the residents in the early hours.
Forest Minister Dindigul Srinivisan, who later visited the families of the deceased and the injured, said the elephant was in musth.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami expressed grief over the incident and announced a relief of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of the victims.
The injured will be given Rs 59,100 each, he said in a statement in Chennai, adding district authorities had been directed to ensure best medical care for them.

The tusker first attacked a 12-year-old girl who was sleeping on the veranda of her house at around 3.30 am. It then moved away from the area and attacked five others.
The injured were admitted to the government hospital here, where three of them, including two women, succumbed to injuries.

Forest officials fired two tranquiliser darts to rein the elephant in, following which it was pushed into a lorry with the help of the kumki elephant and six earth movers and taken to a a camp at Varagazhiyar.
Minister Srinivasan, who visited the spot along with Municipal Administration Minister S P Velumani, said the forest department would take all possible steps to prevent wild animals from entering human habitat.
He said officials had been asked to remove all obstacles in elephant corridors so that they could move freely. More anti-poaching watchers would be appointed to monitor the movement of wild animals.