Chaos Escalates as Crowd Tries to Flee, Leaving Over 30 Injured
An elephant went on a rampage at a religious festival in India, causing over 30 casualties.
On the 15th, local media such as Hindustan Times reported that on the 13th, during a festival held at a temple in Kozhikode, Kerala, southern India, two elephants involved in the celebration suddenly became agitated and rampaged after fireworks exploded, crashing into the temple office. The elephant rampage caused part of the building's wall to collapse, trapping people under the debris, and the panic-stricken crowd fled in all directions, escalating the chaos. Local police stated that 3 people died and over 30 were injured in the incident.
Footage from the scene showed elephants decorated with ornaments fighting each other and crowds fleeing in haste.
Elephant-related accidents frequently occur in India. Last month, about 20 people were injured and 2 were critically injured in an elephant rampage at a religious festival in Kerala. At that time, one of the elephants involved in the festival suddenly grabbed a man's leg with its trunk, shook him violently, and threw him into the crowd. Additionally, the panicked crowd trying to flee caused more than 20 people to be injured. Authorities reported that it took about two hours to restrain the rampaging elephant.
In October last year, at a festival held in a market in Saran, Bihar, India, an elephant attacked a vehicle carrying tourists, injuring one person. Video footage of the incident showed the elephant, which was carrying people on its back and parading, suddenly charging at the vehicle and tossing it with its tusks. A person presumed to be an official hurriedly tried to subdue the elephant, but it did not stop and continued running, even crashing into a nearby bus.
Accidents caused by wild elephants also occur, not only at festivals. Last month, local media in India reported that a wild elephant broke into a house in Tamil Nadu, southern India, stealing food and fleeing. On the 5th of the same month in the same region, a German tourist was killed after being attacked by an elephant. The tourist approached too close to an elephant crossing the road, which startled the animal. The agitated elephant pushed the tourist off a motorcycle, lifted him with its tusks, and threw him down. He was immediately taken to a hospital but died two hours later.
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