A religious festival in Kerala, southern India, turned chaotic when two elephants fought each other and then charged into the crowd, injuring dozens of attendees.
The incident occurred at the Tharakkal Hindu temple in Thrissur on Friday night during a Hindu procession that had attracted thousands of worshippers.
The trouble began when an older bull elephant, Guruvayur Ravikrishnan, became agitated and attacked another elephant, Puthuppally Arjunan. The two animals locked tusks and tussled before they charged into the crowd, causing panic.
Mahout Sreekumar, 53, narrowly avoided being attacked by the elephants on three occasions but was injured and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Footage of the event shows the elephants clashing and people fleeing in terror as the situation escalated.
Authorities reported that many of the injuries occurred when festivalgoers tried to escape the rampaging elephants and were trampled or knocked down in the chaos.
Both elephants were eventually captured about half a mile from the festival site and safely restrained.
The authorities have launched an investigation into what sparked the elephants’ aggression. India is home to around 30,000 wild elephants, representing 60% of the world’s Asian elephant population. Many more elephants are kept in captivity for use in religious ceremonies and weddings.
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