Wild elephant kills man on his way to join fuel queue

An agricultural research officer on his way to obtain fuel in the early hours of Saturday morning has died after being attacked by a wild elephant at Sooriyawewa.

The deceased was identified as

A. G. Somipala aged 57, a father of three and a resident of Mahagalwewa, Meegahajandura in Sooriyawewa. He had been serving as an agricultural research officer attached to Mayurapura division.

He had been attacked by a wild elephant on the main road near the Sooriyawewa Cricket Stadium while on his way to the filling station in the city from his home in Mahagalwewa at about 2 am to obtain fuel for his motorbike,. He had succumbed to his injuries on the spot and his remains have been taken to the Sooriyawewa Divisional Hospital and then to the Hambantota General Hospital for the postmortem.

Locals said that an electric fence was constructed only covering Weliwewa area in Sooriyawewa and not the area of 5 kilometres from there to Meegahajandura. “Wild elephants roam along the main road daily at night resulting in motorbike and vehicle accidents to increase.