Jumbos attack houses; narrow escape for migrants

COIMBATORE: A group of migrant workers had a narrow escape when a herd of wild elephants attacked their tin-roofed houses in search of food near Coimbatore on Tuesday in the wee hours.

Three elephants made their way into Kathir Naickenpalayam area and started damaging the temporary houses looking for rice. More than five migrant workers as well as a couple, who initially stayed inside the shed feared an attack if they came out, had then rushed out after the elephants continued their rampage.

Even though a tusker attempted to charge, the migrant workers, all involved in construction work, managed to escape to safety. After a while, the elephants retreated into the forest area. Following this incident, a team of forest department officials has been deployed in the locality to prevent any conflict and to monitor movement of the elephant herd.

Similarly, in Valparai, a herd of elephants damaged the compound wall of a temple while attempting to feed themselves plantains tied to the wall on Valparai to Mudis stretch on Monday night.