Coimbatore : A wild elephant damaged a house in tribal settlement near Anaikatty on the outskirts in the early hours of today.

Its inmates, however, had a miraculous escape.

58-year old Perumal of Dhoomanur, his wife and children were sleeping in the house, when the elephant in search of food started damaging the sidewall past midnight.

As the pachyderm damaged the wall and pulled down the roof, some neighbours rushed to the spot and managed to scare away the animal, police said.

The inmates luckily escaped unhurt, they said.