A forest watcher, who was part of a team involved in the retrieval of an elephant’s carcass from Contour Canal in Udumalpet, Tiruppur district, was washed away on Saturday.
C. Chandru (24) was part of a 15-member team from Udumalpet Forest Range involved in the operation, when he was washed away by the strong current in the Contour canal, according to Forest Range Officer C. Dhanabalan.
Following information that a seven-year-old male elephant accidentally fell into the Contour Canal near Pollachi in Coimbatore district, the team was sent to rescue it alive. However, the elephant was found to be dead during the operation and its carcass was retrieved from the canal.
But Chandru was washed away in the strong currents of the canal during the operation at around 5 p.m on Saturday. “He was recruited in December [2019] and this was his first rescue operation,” Mr. Dhanabalan said.
Forest officials and personnel from Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services are trying to trace him on Sunday, the Range Officer said.
