KLUANG: A devastated Sugianto Giman could do nothing but feel helpless as he watched his wife slowly languish and die in his arms while he rushed her to the nearest health facility for treatment.
The 64-year-old from Indonesia is the husband of Misirah Soliman, in her 60s, who is believed to have been killed by a herd of elephants while tapping rubber in Kahang this morning.
Recalling the events, Sugianto said he was shocked and immediately rushed to the scene after being alerted by a villager of his wife's fate.
"My heart sank when I saw my wife on the ground, raising her hand and crying in pain.
"We rushed her to a clinic in Kahang, but it was closed. By then, my wife was visibly weak before she took her last breath and died in my arms.
"I managed to help her recite the Syahadah while we were rushing to the clinic," he said.
Sugianto said he did not find any wounds or injuries on his wife's body.
"But her body was limp," he said.
Sugianto hopes that the authorities will take action to address the elephant threat in the area to prevent incidents like the one involving his wife from recurring.
In the 7am incident, an Indonesian rubber tapper saw the victim surrounded by 10 elephants, lying on the ground and being rolled around by the animals.
Alone, terrified, and shocked by what had happened, the rubber tapper immediately rushed to a nearby village and sought help from a 62-year-old villager Nor Hassan Mohd Doom.
"When we rushed to the scene, the herd of elephants had already left, leaving the victim gasping for help.
"Seeing the victim's condition, I immediately alerted the husband of the woman," Nor Hassan said when met at the scene.