Five elephants stray into village

COIMBATORE: Panic gripped Pannimadai village on the outskirts, as a herd of elephants strayed into the area in the wee hours of today and destroyed a large number of banana plants.

According to forest department sources, the elephants, including a calf, came into the human habitat in search of water.

About 500 banana plants were destroyed by the animals. The elephants, fearing the crowd, stayed put without moving out of the village, resulting in a tense situation.

Efforts are being made to disperse the elephants, the sources said.