<p>A couple from Gujarat were trampled to death by a wild elephant in Gavi in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala on Wednesday. The deceased had been identified as Bhupendra Rawal (52) and his wife Jagruti (50) from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.<br /><br /></p>.<p> Rawal and Jagruti were part of an eight-member group of tourists and arrived in Gavi in the morning after an overnight stay at a resort in Thekkady. They were on a trek organised as part of an ecotourism programme in Gavi when a wild elephant attacked them near a cardamom plantation. <br /><br />Kannan, a tourist guide who accompanied the couple, was injured and admitted to hospital. Police said the animal was distracted by the couple’s attempts to photograph a herd of elephants moving by the trekking path. The animal charged towards the couple and attacked them.<br /><br />The trekking path is many kilometres deep in the forest. According to reports, the elephants stayed on the spot for about an hour after the attack, making efforts to rescue the couple impossible. <br /><br />Rawal and Jagruti died on the spot. Their bodies were later taken to a community health centre in Vandiperiyar in Idukki district. In October last year, another tourist from Gujarat – Dipali, a teacher – was trampled to death by an elephant in Munnar in Idukki district while trying to pose for photographs with the animal.</p>
<p>A couple from Gujarat were trampled to death by a wild elephant in Gavi in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala on Wednesday. The deceased had been identified as Bhupendra Rawal (52) and his wife Jagruti (50) from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.<br /><br /></p>.<p> Rawal and Jagruti were part of an eight-member group of tourists and arrived in Gavi in the morning after an overnight stay at a resort in Thekkady. They were on a trek organised as part of an ecotourism programme in Gavi when a wild elephant attacked them near a cardamom plantation. <br /><br />Kannan, a tourist guide who accompanied the couple, was injured and admitted to hospital. Police said the animal was distracted by the couple’s attempts to photograph a herd of elephants moving by the trekking path. The animal charged towards the couple and attacked them.<br /><br />The trekking path is many kilometres deep in the forest. According to reports, the elephants stayed on the spot for about an hour after the attack, making efforts to rescue the couple impossible. <br /><br />Rawal and Jagruti died on the spot. Their bodies were later taken to a community health centre in Vandiperiyar in Idukki district. In October last year, another tourist from Gujarat – Dipali, a teacher – was trampled to death by an elephant in Munnar in Idukki district while trying to pose for photographs with the animal.</p>
