Four elephants were killed when they were hit by lightning in the Kiralaketiyawa area in Mahawilachchiya.

A female elephant and three of its calves were killed as a result of the lightning strike. A farmer who had discovered the dead elephants after noticing a stench in his farm on Sunday morning had informed the Mahawilachchiya Police regarding the incident.

The veterinary surgeon of the North Western Wildlife Zone conducted a post mortem and concluded that the elephants had died as a result of being struck by lightning two days ago, during heavy rains.

Meanwhile, wildlife officers rescued an elephant who had fallen into the ZD canal in Sevanapitya, Welikanda on Saturday evening.

The elephant had fallen in to the canal in the Ginidamana area in Sevanapitiya and had been washed downstream as a result of the strong current before getting stuck at the sluice gate.

The elephant who was rescued after an eight-hour long operation was released to the Sevanapitiya Reserve.

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