September 13, 2011
An Indonesian woman was trampled to death by an enraged herd of wild Sumatran elephants on Tuesday in the latest such fatal attack in the same village in Aceh province.
Linawati, 35, was collecting water from a river near Alue Keujren in Kluet Tengah subdistrict at 7:30 a.m. when a herd of elephants trampled her to death.
“The victim was beyond help and she died instantly,” village head Ali Hanafiah said.
Ali said wild elephants had damaged many hectares of corn, rice and other crops.
“Locals attempted to scare-off the wild elephants using traditional methods, such as throwing fire balls made of coconut shells and lighting fireworks, but to no avail,” he said, adding that villagers had reported the disturbances to the subdistrict officials.
Linawati is not the first person from the village to be killed by elephants.
In July 2010, a farmer named Shalahuddin, 30, was killed by elephants. Shalahuddin’s death followed an attack on another farmer Misbah, 48, who was lucky to escape with only serious injuries.
Alue Keujren, located 80 kilometers from the South Aceh district capital of Tapaktuan, is a remote and isolated village that can only be accessed by a three-hour boat ride.
Antara/JG
di 13 sep 2011 - 8:04