Coimbatore : A 62-year old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant near his house in Ettimadai on the outskrits in the wee hours of Wednesday.

Velusami was sleeping on a cot in front of his house, when an elephant came and lifted him with its trunk and hurled him down and trampled, with its leg near the house, coming under Madukkarai Forest Range, police said.

Hearing the scream, neighbours woke up and noticed the elephant was standing there after trampling Velusami to death, they said.

On information, forest department officials rushed to the spot and managed to drive away the elephant by bursting crackers.

The officials took the body of Velusami and sent it to the Government hospital for postmortem, they said.