Wild tuskers trample 3 to death, hurt 2 in AP forest

TIRUPATI: Three people, including a woman, were trampled to death by wild tuskers while two others sustained grievous injuries in the elephant attack near Gundalakona in Obulavaripalle mandal in Andhra Pradesh's Annamayya district on Tuesday.
The trio - who died on the spot - were identified as Vankayala Dinesh, Tupakula Munemma and T Chengalrayudu.
Police and forest department officials said 30 devotees from Y Kota village had set out for Siddheswara Swamy temple at Talakona to attend Maha Shivaratri festivities. The group took the route via Seshachalam forests on Monday night to reach the temple.
Around 1am Tuesday, the group resumed their trek following a brief rest when they came across a herd of tuskers that attacked them near Gundalakona. While everyone ran for their lives, the elephants trampled three people to death and grievously injured two others. On learning about the attack, local cops and forest officials rushed to the spot and shifted the deceased and the injured to a hospital in dolis.

The injured were admitted to govt general hospital at Railway Kodur.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan condoled the tragedy and directed the district administration to ensure the best medical treatment for the injured. State govt announced 10 lakh ex-gratia for the deceased's kin and 5 lakh for each injured.
Officials and police were instructed not to allow anyone inside the forest area due to the movement of jumbos near Gundalakona and surrounding areas.