Elephant kills two Sri Lanka cricket stadium staff

December 8, 2021 at 2:26 PM

Two ground staff at a cricket stadium in Sri Lanka were killed in an elephant attack on Tuesday evening.

The two workers were heading home when they were attacked outside the Suriyawewa Mahinda Rajapaksa international stadium in Hambantota.

Their bodies were found around 500m apart, a Sri Lanka Cricket official told AFP, adding that while there were no witnesses, a single animal was believed to have attacked both men.

The venue is near a wildlife sanctuary and in a largely rural area known for human-elephant conflict due to habitat loss.

The men had been carrying out preparatory work for the semi-finals and finals of the Lanka Premier League due to be held at the stadium later this month.

Most recently, it hosted an ODI between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in February last year. (AFP)