Dozens of people were left injured in the southern Indian state of Kerala Wednesday morning (Jan 8) when an elephant went on a rampage during a festival procession. The incident occurred during the Putiyangadi festival in the Malappuram district at the BP Angadi Mosque as a large crowd of devotees had gathered there.

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What happened?

According to eyewitnesses, the elephant, named Pakkathu Sreekuttan, got agitated and charged into the crowd. A horrifying video of the incident has emerged on social media, showing the elephant violently swinging a man. The crowd present at the scene dispersed in no time; however, at least 24 people sustained injuries.

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The man attacked by the elephant was later rushed to Aster MIMS Hospital in Kottakal for treatment. Eventually, the animal was tamed with the help of its caretaker.

Others suffered injuries due to a stampede-like situation that arose as the animal went out of control. It was only after two hours that the elephant was brought back in control.

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Viral videos show at least five elephants adorned with golden plates being present at the festival. One of them became agitated as crowd tried to film them. The tusker was then secured near a mast to prevent any further incident.

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Police confirmed later in a statement that the mosque had all the necessary permissions to hold the ceremony.

Previous incidents

The report comes days after a wild elephant trampled and killed a 37-year-old tribal man earlier this week in dense forests near Nilambur area. Earlier in November last year, a similar incident occurred in Chennai when a 45-year-old mahout and his relative were killed after being trampled by a temple elephant.

(With inputs from agencies)