Tourists escape unharmed as wild elephant attacks moving car in Kerala

The elephant suddenly charged at the moving car, kicked it and overturned the vehicle, officials said, quoting residents.

Idukki: A group of tourists had a miraculous escape after a wild elephant attacked their moving car in Kerala's tourist hill station, Munnar on Saturday.

The incident occurred near Signal Point on the Munnar-Devikulam Road, according to forest department sources.

The elephant suddenly charged at the moving car, kicked it and overturned the vehicle, they said, quoting residents.

However, the three tourists inside the car at the time, along with the driver, miraculously escaped unhurt.

The wild elephant was later driven back into the forest by the Rapid Response Team (RRT) of the Wildlife Department.

"I tried to turn the vehicle in the opposite direction, but the elephant rushed in and kicked it," the car driver later told media.

Television visuals showed the visibly shaken tourists standing near the damaged car.

The doors on one side along with the windows and mirrors were visibly damaged in the elephant attack.

According to a forest official, the incident reportedly occurred while the tourists were travelling from Munnar to Thekkady.

"It is believed that the passengers were foreign tourists, but we are yet to confirm this. Fortunately, they did not sustain any injuries, though the vehicle was damaged. The elephant was driven back into the forest by RRT personnel," he said.