The 77-year-old was riding a hired scooter in Tiger Valley in southern Tamil Nadu state on Tuesday evening when the agitated elephant attacked him on a hilly forest road, tossing the tourist into the woods.

"He failed to understand warnings by other travellers who had stopped a safe distance after spotting the wild elephant and drove ahead," said Uma, a police officer who uses only one name.

"The elephant attacked him and he died on the way to a local hospital," the officer told AFP.

Police said they had tried contacting the dead man's family "but no one responded to our calls".

Local media reported that the tourist continued driving towards the wild elephant despite warnings by travellers who were waiting for the animal pass -- and honked loudly to drive it away.

His decision to "ignore warnings and attempt to cross the road despite the elephant's presence led to the fatal accident," forest officer G. Venkatesh said, according to the New Indian Express newspaper.

India has an estimated 30,000 wild Asian elephants.

In India, elephants attack locals regularly -- and vice versa -- as humans encroach into forest areas.