Lightning kills tuskers

COLOMBO: Four elephants, including two calves, were killed by lightning in northern Sri Lanka in one of the worst wildlife tragedies to hit the country in years, officials said Sunday.

A female elephant, aged about 25 years, and two of her calves, aged 10 months and two years, and an eight-year-old female were found dead Sunday just outside the Wilpattu wildlife sanctuary, an official said.

“Villagers from neighbouring areas alerted the authorities and we carried out autopsies,” wildlife surgeon Chandana Jayasinghe said.