"Elephant Seizes Person, Shakes and Throws Them During Indian Festival Riot"

More than 20 Injured at Religious Festival
"Elephants Frequently Attack Humans"

At a religious festival held in India, an elephant grabbed a person's leg with its trunk and violently shook and threw them, causing a disturbance. More than 20 people were injured in the incident.

According to Yonhap News Agency, citing the Indian daily Times of India and others, the incident occurred on the morning of the 8th (local time) at a religious festival in Tirur, Malappuram district, located 350 km north of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala state in southern India.

Rampaging elephant. Photo by Yonhap News

A police official told local media, "On the last day of the four-day annual religious festival, this morning at the festival site, an elephant suddenly charged into the crowd," adding, "The elephant grabbed a man's leg with its trunk, shook him violently, and threw him into the crowd."

The official added that the startled crowd rushed to flee, causing a situation similar to a stampede. More than 20 people were injured, and the injured were taken to nearby hospitals, with two reported to be in critical condition.

The scene of the elephant rampage was also broadcast on local TV media. The footage showed people at the festival site filming four elephants adorned with gold decorations on their phones when one elephant suddenly started causing chaos.

Hundreds of people, including women and children, had gathered at the accident site, and it reportedly took authorities two hours to restrain the rampaging elephant.

Recently, incidents of elephants attacking humans have been occurring frequently in India. In October last year, at a festival held in a market in Saran district, Bihar state, an elephant attacked a vehicle carrying tourists, injuring one person.

The video of the incident showed an elephant, carrying people on its back and marching, suddenly charging at a vehicle and using its tusks to toss a white SUV like a ball. A person presumed to be a guide rushed over urgently to try to restrain the elephant, but it did not stop and continued charging, later also ramming a nearby bus as if still angry. One tourist inside the vehicle was injured in the accident.

At the time, local authorities explained, "The large crowds and loud music created a chaotic situation that seemed to cause stress to the elephant."