A 36-year-old woman was killed and her daughter injured in a wild elephant attack on Monday morning at Chinnakkanal, under the Devikulam forest range near Munnar in Idukki district of Kerala, a report said.
The deceased was identified as Mari, a resident of Singukandam.
The incident occurred when the woman was walking her daughter to school. Heavy rain and dense fog prevailed in the area at the time, and it is suspected that the victims failed to notice the elephant nearby.
Mari sustained fatal injuries in the attack and succumbed to the wounds.
The child was rushed to Adimaly Taluk Hospital for treatment.
The incident comes amid continuing concerns over increasing human-elephant conflict in forest fringe areas across the state.
With the latest death, five people have reportedly been killed in wild elephant attacks in the state over the past two weeks.
Meanwhile, Kerala Forest Minister Shibu Baby John on Monday said that the state government is committed to protecting the lives and property of people living in forest border areas. He said the government will go to every humanly possible extent to address concerns over rising wildlife attacks.
In a Facebook post, the minister said safeguarding people residing along forest fringes is one of the government's foremost responsibilities.
His statement comes in the wake of the Opposition's criticism against rising incidents of human-wildlife conflict in Kerala.
The minister said that although certain constraints arising from central laws exist, the government is not prepared to remain inactive because of them.
"Along with protecting forests and wildlife, the state government is committed to embracing and safeguarding people living in forest border regions and will go to every humanly possible extent to ensure their safety," he said.
John said wildlife attacks can be effectively prevented only through cooperation between the Forest Department and local communities.
Human-wildlife conflict was one of the key issues during the Assembly election campaign, with the UDF promising to address the problem if voted to power.
John recently unveiled a 100-day action plan aimed at reducing human-wildlife conflict in the state.
(With inputs from PTI)
