Chennai tourist woman trampled to death by fighting elephants in Madikeri; disturbing video surfaces

MADIKERI: A tourist from Chennai died horrendously after getting trapped in a melee between two tuskers in Dubare Elephant Camp in Kushalnagar on Monday. The woman, identified as Joysi (33), died in the incident while her husband and their toddler escaped by a whisker.

The family from Tamil Nadu were on a visit to Madikeri when the two elephants started a brawl while being brought for bathing. Kanjan and Marthanda, the two trained elephants, suddenly started a fight, and one of them fell on the woman. The mahouts tried their best to alleviate tension, but to no avail.

In the disturbing video that surfaced, the husband can be seen trying to drag his wife from the water while precariously holding the toddler.

⚠️Disturbing visuals 🚨 Horrific incident of elephant clash in Kodagu, Karnataka. 😱 Reportedly one woman lost her life. pic.twitter.com/gVvQvpnudW

— Vije (@vijeshetty) May 18, 2026

Karnataka Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre condoled the incident and ordered a detailed probe. The minister expressed shock at how even trained elephants can behave so unpredictably and thus said that it was impossible to anticipate what would happen. The minister thus warned tourists from touching the trunks of the giants, or feeding them bananas or being near them while taking a bath.