Athirappilly: Two people were killed in a wild elephant attack near Athirappilly in Thrissur district on Monday night. 

The deceased have been identified as Satheesh (30) and Ambika (37), residents of Unnathi in Vazhachal Shasthampoovam. The victims, belonging to the Kadar tribal community, and their families lived in makeshift huts in Vanchikadavu in Athirappilly to collect forest produce, mainly honey.

Lakshmi R, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Vazhachal Division, said that two tribal families reside in the area. 

The wild tusker attack occurred around 7 pm near the Athirappilly waterfalls. A herd of elephants suddenly charged at the group, and people ran away in different directions. The elephants attacked Satheesh and Ambika, who were at the front.

Their bodies were found during a search operation on Tuesday morning. According to the DFO, cause of death can be confirmed only after postmortem.

The Forest Department has moved the remaining family members to a safer location. Just a day ago, a tribal youth named Sebastian (20) was killed in an elephant attack in Athirappilly.