Coimbatore : A herd of five elephants, including a calf, had a miraculous escape, from a powerful transformer explosion, after an elephant touched it while being chased away by forest department officials near Periyanaickenpalayam on the ourskirts, early Saturday.

According to police, forest department officials received an alert from Naickenpalayam villagers about the herd early around 4 am that was grazing in their farmlands

The officials, along with anti-poaching warders rushed to the spot and made an attempt to chase away the wild elephants by bursting crackers, they said.

In the melee one elephant brushed its body against a transformer in Kennady Nagar, resulting the explosion, with flames leaping nearly 10 feet.

However, the herd had a miraculous escape from the fire and ran deep into the jungles.