KOTA BARU: An Indonesian national was killed after being trampled by an elephant in Gua Musang last night.
Kelantan Wildlife Department director Mohamad Hafid Rohani said the victim was identified as Sandra Kirana Sinaga, a worker of Upayapadu Plantation Berhad.
He said the department's office in Kuala Krai received a call from management of Upayapadu Plantation Berhad, a company in Sungai Bayu, Gua Musang at 10 pm last night.
"They informed us of the elephant attack on their worker while the victim was working in the smallholding which is located close to Lebir and Relai forest reserves," he said in a statement.
Hafid said a ranger team was deployed to the scene at about 10.15pm and arrived there about an hour later.
"Their investigation at the scene confirmed that the victim was attacked by a wild elephant and identified the species of the elephant as 'Elephas maximus' type," he said.
Based on their records since 2019, the Kuala Krai office has received 12 reports on elephant attacks in the smallholding and its surrounding areas, he said.
From 2019 until now, Hafid said the department has captured 90 elephants in several operations in the state.
The incident is not the first to have occurred in Kelantan as well as it neighbouring state, Perak this year.
On Aug 2, a 42-year-old security guard was killed after he was trampled by a wild elephant at Lojing Highlands.
On Aug 13, a 63-year-old Orang Asli woman was killed after being trampled on by an elephant in a durian orchard in Kampung Bal at the Kemar resettlement scheme near Gerik.
Most recently, in Gerik, a family had a close call when their car was trampled on by a herd of elephants at KM55 of the East-West Road (JRTB) from Gerik to Jeli, just before Titiwangsa Rest Area towards Jeli on Nov 26.
However, there were no fatalities or injuries to the driver and two passengers of the Perodua Axia involved.