Moment an angry elephant smashes bus windscreen with its tusks in India – but the driver keeps his cool The elephant was spotted on the road in Coonoor in southern India on Saturday Passengers on board a bus filmed the elephant as it approached the vehicle The driver protected his passengers while the elephant hit the windscreen By Darren Boyle for MailOnline Published: 10:17 BST, 27 September 2021 | Updated: 10:49 BST, 27 September 2021 Viewcomments This the dramatic moment an elephant charged a bus and shattered its windscreen in southern India. Footage filmed by a passenger shows the large elephant battering the glass with its tusks in the encounter on September 25 in Coonoor, in the Nilgiris district. The incident occurred around 9am after the state-owned bus carrying government workers from Kotagiri to Mettupalayam halted to let an elephant cross the road. The giant elephant attacked the bus carrying government workers in Coonoor, which in the Nilgiris district of southern India One passenger on the bus filmed the attack which took place on Saturday As the elephant began smashing the windscreen, the driver jumped from his seat Suddenly the elephant charged the bus. Passengers can be heard gasping as the glass cracked, but the driver appears calm in the face of the animal's onslaught. The bus was driving through a forest area which forms the habitat for a large number of wild animals. According to local media, the bus was carrying government workers. The driver pulls to a halt when he spots the elephant Eyewitness video shared with permission from one of the passengers shows the elephant in front of the bus and smashing the front windscreen with its tusks. The incident occurred on Saturday morning in Coonoor, a municipality of the Nilgiris district, on a road that runs through dense forest areas and is a habitat for many wild animals. The bus was carrying government workers. The driver stopped the bus when it came across the elephant. The passengers appear to make their way to the back of the bus as the driver moves out of his seat but in front of the other people on the bus. The animal soon returned to the forest and after a short while, the driver was able to start up the bus and drive the passengers to safety. The driver won praise online from officials for his actions. Supriya Sahu, Principal Secretary, Environment, Climate Change & Forests, at the Government of Tamil Nadu, tweeted: 'Huge respect for the driver of this Government bus in Nilgiris who kept his cool even under the terrifying hits on the bus from an agitated tusker. 'He helped passengers move back safely, in an incident today morning. That's why they say a cool mind works wonders.' Last month an elephant was filmed attacking a huge sculpture at a wildlife park after mistaking the statue for a love rival. The incident happened at the Khao Yai National Park in Thailand. National Park officer Ple Srichai said the bull is likely to have mistook the sculpture for another male which threatened his breeding rights. This is the hilarious moment an elephant attacked a huge sculpture in a Thailand wildlife park - after mistaking it for a love rival The elephant can been seen staring down the artwork for a few moments before charging at the inanimate object and knocking it on its side Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility