Wayanad: A plantation laborer who was on the way to a cardamom plantation was killed in an elephant attack at Elambilery Hills near Meppadi, here, on Saturday morning. The deceased is Cholamala Kunjavaran, 58, a resident of Elambilery.

The mishap took place close to the KSEB transformer at Elambilery when he was walking to the plantation towards 7:30 am, according to local people. For the last week, there has been the presence of an elephant in the area in the early morning and late evening, they added. Surrounded by forest, the region with vast coffee and cardamom plantations is known for recurring elephant raids on plantations.

A police team headed by Meppadi police station Sub Inspector VP Siraj reached the spot soon after the incident. Forest department personnel from the Meppadi Forest Range Office are also at the spot. The inquest into the body is yet to be completed. The body of the victim will be shifted to Taluk Hospital Vythiri for a postmortem and handed over to the relatives in the afternoon, police said.