At least three people were killed and 30 others injured, some critically, after two elephants went on a rampage during a festival at a temple in the southern Indian state of Kerala, police said.
The incident took place on the evening of February 13 at the Manakulangara Temple near Koyilandy in Kozhikode district, 422 km north of the capital Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala state.
According to local officials, the elephants, which were brought to the temple to participate in the festival, were agitated after firecrackers were fired during the festival.
“After the firecrackers were fired, the two elephants got into a fight and in a frenzy, they crashed into the building, causing a part of the wall to collapse, trapping several people underneath,” a police officer said.
“The collapse of the wall resulted in the death of two women and a man. Witnessing this, panic broke out among the people present there, leading to a stampede that injured 30 people.”
Television footage showed two decorated elephants fighting and breaking the barricade. Two elephants chased each other as the mahout clung to them while the people present ran for safety.
