Chennai, Feb 13 (IANS): A 59-year-old woman was trampled to death by a wild elephant in a reserve forest area in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district.

The attack took place on Sunday evening. The Tamil Nadu forest department identified the woman as Karupathal, wife of Sakthivel.

According to the officials, Karupathal had gone to the border of the forest area to graze her cattle. Suddenly a wild elephant arrived from the forest. The woman tried to run away, but the elephant, according to the forest department sources, took her by the trunk and threw her and later trampled the woman to death.

The body of Karupathal was taken to the Mettupalayam government hospital for post-mortem. Senior officials of the Tamil Nadu forest department reached the spot and held an inquiry on the attack by the wild elephant.

The Tamil Nadu forest department is in the process of using electric fences in areas where human and animal conflict takes place, and with the killing of Karupathal the emergency for erecting the fence has increased.

A senior officer of the Tamil Nadu forest department told IANS that the department has already submitted a proposal to the state government on the measures to be taken to prevent attacks by wild elephants and other animals in human settlements.