One dead in China elephant attack

KUNMING - The body of a migrant worker was found following an attack by a wild elephant in southwest China's Yunnan Province, authorities said Friday.

The worker had no life signs when the rescue team found his body at 2:10 a.m. Friday.

The accident occurred at a rubber tree plantation in Jinghong city Thursday afternoon, according to the local government, which received a report about the attack at around 5:30 p.m.

One worker climbed up a tree to avoid the attack and called for help, the government said. By 7:40 p.m., the worker had been rescued but another was missing.

"He was attacked by the elephant," said the rescued worker.

The presence of the wild elephant prevented rescuers from entering the forest, so they used drones to search for him.

Wild Asian elephants are under Class A protection in China, with a population mainly scattered in Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and in the cities of Pu'er and Lincang.