– Five people were injured when an elephant attacked a van travelling from Padukka to Anuradhapura yesterday.

It was reported that the van had knocked the animal a few metres before it reached the spot where the tragedy struck.The injured were admitted to hospital. The condition of three people was said to be serious. Some six people were travelling in the van, according to police.The village of Padeniya in Anuradhapura District is said to have suffered because of wild elephants during the past few years. Around 20 people have died as a result of human-elephant conflict in the area.