Rescue operations are underway after an elephant fell into a 50-foot-deep well in southern India's Tamil Nadu.

Locals in Panayampalli, Dharmapuri District were alerted after they heard an elephant trumpet coming from the bottom of an irrigation well. Forest officials were immediately called.

According to the villagers, the elephant wandered over to eat the sugarcane in the nearby fields but fell in the well as it was dark at the time.

Officials built a temporary ramp but it failed to rescue the elephant. The rescue operations have lasted for over 12 hours and are still ongoing.

This footage was filmed on November 19.

Rescue measures of saving an female elephant that fell in the well are underway for the past twelve hours.

Venkatachelam is a farmer who lives in panjampalli village of Dharmapuri District of Tamilnadu. He owns a few Acer's of land. He also dug a well for irrigation purpose.

This morning the villagers heard the elephant trumpet inside the well. They went to the well and saw inside. To their suprise they saw an elephant inside the well.

They immediately informed the forest officials about the elephant. The forest officials rushed to the spot and started the rescue operations.


The well is 50 feet deep it's being said that the elephant have come to eat the sugarcane in the agricultural fields in the early hours and as it was dark the elephant have not noticed the well and it would have fallen inside.

The forest officials tried to build a temporary bridge for the elephant to climb. But that efforts were failed. Then they tried to rescue it with a big basket like thing. That also was a failure.

It's been twelve hours since the rescue operations started