Kannur: The wild elephant that strayed into the residential areas of Ulikkal on Wednesday has retreated into the forest, officials said.

The Forest Department had deployed a team to scare away the tusker after six people injured themselves while fleeing from it. The forest officials used fire crackers to scare the elephant away.

Meanwhile, the mortal remains of a man was found on the path used by the tusker. The deceased Jose, a native of Athrassery, was found on the forest path with many wounds. The man was injured by the elephant. Visuals of local residents asking Jose to move away were released on Thursday.

The elephant which travelled 15 km from Karnataka border had reached Ullikkal on Wednesday morning.

 According to the officials, firing tranquilliser shots is not possible as the elephant may run amok, posing a threat to the people. The tusker used the same route to return to the forest.

Since the elephant is likely to return, forest department officials will continue inspections for another day. Villagers said the elephant destroyed a compound wall of a house while running amok in the residential area.