Foreign tourist visiting Sigiriya trampled to death by wild elephant

By Kanchana Kumara - Dambulla

A foreign tourist on a visit to Sigiriya had been trampled to death by a wild elephant at Pidurangala area. Victim Prof. Joe Anton, 67, was a Hungarian tourist.  

Residents of the area had scared away the jumbo and rushed the injured tourist to the nearby hospital. They said they rushed him to a Sigiriya rural hospital by trishaw but he had succumbed to his injuries.  

Police said the tourist was on his way back to the hotel with his wife after a visit to Pidurangala when the jumbo struck him at a location frequented by wild elephants. They said a warning sign had been put up there asking visitors to be alert on wild elephants. 

Residents of the area accused the relevant authorities who have turned a deaf ear to their continual representations regarding the danger of wild elephants facing tourists visiting the Pidurangala area.  

They pointed out that several tourists walked along that road last morning regardless of its danger.  

The postmortem of the deceased was to be held at Dambulla Base Hospital. Sigiriya Police are conducting further investigations.