One dead as elephant attacks bus near Corbett park: Official

DEHRADUN: A 52-year-old man died when a wild elephant pulled him out of his bus and flung him in the air on Saturday morning near Corbett Tiger Reserve in Mandal forest range in Nainital district.

The state transport corporation bus was headed for Bageshwar from Ramnagar when the animal accosted it.

Mandal range officer Bharat Singh Sajwan said, “The elephant attacked the bus near Chimtakhal area around 6.30 am. We got the information a little later because of lack of mobile connectivity in the area. The angry elephant attacked the driver first and then pulled out Girish Chandra Pandey.”

Pandey, a Ramnagar resident, worked as a government school teacher. A video recorded right after the incident shows the extent of damage caused with the windshield of the bus completely smashed, and passengers being moved to another bus.

According to Wild Elephant Population estimate carried out in 2015, Corbett has over 1,035 elephants . Since then, jumbo population has increased to over 1,400, said forest officials.

Elephants have regularly been creating a ruckus around the highway which they have to cross to reach Kosi river.

Tourists and passengers have often fled their vehicles when elephants attack.

Last year in October, an elephant had attacked a tourist vehicle in the Mohan area near Corbett Tiger Reserve. The tourists inside the car got out of the vehicle and ran for their lives. The elephant turned the vehicle over.

With elephants attacking vehicles for food on the 25-km stretch in Ramnagar area near the Corbett Tiger Reserve, the forest department had decided not to allow vehicles to stop on the road.

In May this year, officials had thought up many ways to ward off elephants on the lookout for food; mixing red chilies in food, torchlight patrolling, bursting of crackers and firing in the air.