Thiruvananthapuram: Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan, and ministers A K Saseendran, M B Rajesh, Saji Cheriyan, and Veena George expressed their condolences to AV Mukesh, a Mathrubhumi News cameraman who was killed in a wild elephant attack while on assignment.

"Heartfelt condolences on the sad death of Sri A.V Mukesh, columnist & Cameraman, @mathrubhuminews in an elephant attack. His writing reflected a deep commitment to the uplift of the poor. May his soul attain Mukti," Khan said in a post on 'X'.

“It is heartbreaking. Incidents like this should not happen again,” said A. K. Saseendran.

“Apart from being a video journalist, he gained recognition through the series of articles published by Mathrubhumi online under the name of ‘Athijeevanam’ and articles about India’s rural life in Mathrubhumi Weekly,” said minister M. B. Rajesh.

“Mukesh's unexpected demise is shocking and painful. I recall the time when he was a colleague, many years ago. This is very sad. Condolences to the family and loved ones," Minister Veena George wrote on Facebook.

AV Mukesh (34), employed by Mathrubhumi News, was seriously injured in the elephant attack while he and a reporter were capturing footage of a strayed elephant herd's movement, channel sources said.

The tragedy occurred when the cameraman was filming the elephants crossing a river between Malambuzha and Kanjikode.

Locals reported that this area frequently experiences wild elephant straying.

While the reporter and the vehicle's driver managed to flee to safety, Mukesh was attacked and severely injured by an elephant.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries, they said.

Hailing from Parappanangadi in Malappuram district, Mukesh had worked in the Palakkad bureau of Mathrubhumi News for the last year.

He had previously been part of the New Delhi bureau for several years.

Mukesh also demonstrated his reporting skills by writing over 100 articles for Mathrubhumi online as part of a column titled "Athijeevanam," depicting the lives of marginalized people.

His colleagues remembered that his articles drew attention from authorities and the public to the plight of the poor and marginalized.

They also noted that Mukesh used to provide financial assistance to those he mentioned in his column by allocating a portion of his salary.

He is survived by his wife.