COLOMBO – Two people were killed in a wild elephant attack in Aralaganwila in Sri Lanka’s North Central Province on Thursday night, local media reported on Friday, citing police.
The victims were identified as a 72-year-old man and a 75-year-old woman from the same family.
Sri Lanka has been grappling with a severe human-elephant conflict for years. Between 2015 and 2024, 3,477 wild elephants and 1,190 people have died as a result of the crisis, Minister of Environment Dammika Patabendi told the parliament earlier this month.
The North Central Province has recorded the highest number of human-elephant conflict incidents in the country. Of the province’s 29 Divisional Secretariat Divisions, 27 have seen a sharp rise in such conflicts in recent years.
XINHUA