A man was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Kanniyakumari forest area on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border on Friday night, officials said. The deceased was identified as Madhu, 37.

The tragic incident occurred on the Tamil Nadu side. Forest officials told IANS that with a herd of elephants still around, the body could not be retrieved yet. Police said that Madhu was killed by a wild elephant near his house.

Forest areas in Tamil Nadu and Kerala have been witnessing an increasing human-elephant conflict with several fatalities reported from the latter state in the recent period.