KUALA TERENGGANU, Oct 5 — An elderly man who was reported missing after going off into his orchard in found dead this morning from a suspected wild elephant attack.

Hulu Terengganu district police chief DSP Zainul Mujahidin Mat Yudin said the victim, Musa Ahmad, 65, was found by villagers in the orchard area about 100 metres from his orchard at road at 7.15 am, adding that a missing person’s report was lodged at 9.32 pm yesterday after the victim’s family and villagers failed to find the victim.

"The search and rescue operation, involving various agencies and villagers, resumed at 7 am and they found the victim at a slope area,” he said in a statement today, adding that an autopsy revealed that the victim suffered injuries to his chest, head and arms consistent with being stomped by an elephant.

"The case has been classified as sudden death,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kuala Berang Fire and Rescue station chief Zulhisham Mohamad Yusof said the search for the victim had began at 1.34 am, and ended when Musa was discovered and confirmed dead by medical officers.

The victim’s daughter, Romisa Musa, 40, said that her father had left for the orchard, located a kilometre away from his home at 8 am yesterday without informing anyone and did not return home in the evening.

They had then gone to look for him at the orchard but failed to find him so they lodged a police report about him being missing at about 9 pm yesterday. — Bernama