A mother was trampled to death by a wild elephant while walking her two children to the school bus stop in India's southern state of Kerala.Mari, 36, was taking her 11-year-old son and her 15-year old daughter to their school bus stop in Chinnakkanal village in Idukki district on Monday when they unexpectedly encountered a cow elephant along with her calves.The woman reportedly failed to spot the tusker in time due to dense fog and mist, despite forest officials circulating messages on WhatsApp about the animal being present in the area.The elephant attacked Mari and her son, while her daughter, who was walking a few metres behind, escaped. An autorikshaw driver rushed the family to a hospital, where Mari was declared dead and the minor boy was admitted for treatment.The recent episode of man-animal conflict triggered protests as locals stopped the authorities from removing Mari's body from the hospital for autospy and demanded stronger measures to prevent future fatal elephant attacks.“My sister was attacked this morning. She has no husband and was raising two children alone. Who will take care of those children now?” Mari’s brother was quoted by the New Indian Express as saying. “We will not allow the body to be taken away until a decision is made.”The victim was a daily wage worker who lived with her mother and two children since her husband's death two years ago.A decorated elephant passes through a busy street during an elephant pageant in Kerala, May 2026 (AP)The locals demanded the relocation of wild elephants from Chinnakkanal and insisted that the state government take over the care of the orphaned children. There were 17 wild elephants in the area, roaming in separate herds, according to officials."If an elephant had died, officials from everywhere would have rushed here. We need concrete decisions to protect people,” a local, who was not named by the newspaper, told reporters. Mari's body was later released after forest officials announced a compensation of Rs500,000 (approximately £4000) to her family.Forest officer Arun Kumar said the department would strengthen the rapid response team to drive wild animals away from residential areas. “The rapid response team will remain stationed in the area from evening until 10am the next day," he said, according to The Hindu newspaper.He added that a forest beat officer in Chinnakkanal, who is also a relative of the family, will oversee the care and education of the children. “The department will strengthen alerts and the monitoring of elephant movements in Chinnakkanal," he said.Kerala forest minister Shibu Baby John said he has directed officials to submit a plan for the children’s welfare. “We need to ensure that the family receives proper care. Based on the department’s proposal, the government will take further steps,” he added."Along with protecting forests and wildlife, the state government is committed to embracing and safeguarding people living in forest border regions and will go to every humanly possible extent to ensure their safety," he said.Man-animal conflict had been one of the key election issues in Kerala this year. The forest minister had recently unveiled a 100-day action plan aimed at reducing human-wildlife conflict.Last month, a woman tourist was crushed to death by two elephants in southern India’s Karnataka state after the animals began fighting each other.India’s environment ministry told parliament earlier this year that about 80 wild elephants had been killed nationwide after being hit by trains between 2020-21 and 2024-25. In one of the latest such incidents, eight tuskers were killed in late December when a passenger train struck a herd in the northeastern state of Assam, railway authorities said.