Chennai: A woman worker was killed by a bear as she was plucking leaves today at a tea garden in Kotagiri, in the Niligirs hills in Tamil Nadu.
Two other men were injured in the attack. One of them, Hallam, the victim Madhayammal's husband is said to be critical. The other man, officials say, is quite stable. After first aid, both men were shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Coimbatore.
Niligiris Collector Dr P Shankar said "We believe the bear was perhaps sleeping in the garden. When the animal was inadvertently disturbed it charged on the workers".
Since last year six people have been killed on the Nilgiris hills in a series of man-animal conflict involving tiger, leopard and this time a bear.