Idukki (Keralam) | A wild elephant strayed into a village and damaged two parked SUVs at Marayoor here on Thursday, forest officials said.

The incident took place at Guhanadhapuram near Marayoor around 1 am, they said.

The two SUVs, belonging to Ramakrishnan and Ravi, were parked by the roadside when the elephant damaged them, officials said.

Later, the elephant entered the premises of houses and resorts, causing panic among residents, they said.

Soon, a Rapid Response Team (RRT) reached the spot and began efforts to drive the elephant back into the forest, officials said.

Residents alleged that a herd of elephants had been straying into the area for the past one week and that the forest department had not made any concrete attempt to drive them away.

They also alleged that the area has several resorts and homestays and that the presence of wild elephants posed a risk to the lives of residents as well as tourists visiting from different countries.

However, forest officials denied the allegation and said they responded whenever elephants were spotted near the village. They said the herd mostly entered residential areas during the night