Kerala shocker: Captive elephant goes on rampage, flips cars like toy, leaves one dead - VIDEO

An elephant killed one person and injured another after it went on a rampage in Kerala on May 1. The incident took place after the captive elephant, brought to a temple at Kidangoor in Angamaly near Kochi, turned violent. The video of the elephant, which went viral on social media, shows it flipping a car and uprooting a tree, also damaging two-wheelers and other property.

A police officer from Angamaly Police Station said the incident claimed the life of the lorry driver transporting the elephant and left its primary mahout seriously injured. The elephant, Mayyanad Parthasarathy, had been brought from Kollam to a temple in Angamaly on Friday. On reaching Kidangoor Mahavishnu Temple, it broke free and went on a rampage, according to media reports.

Horifying scene

Video circulating on social media shows the elephant lifting a Maruti Swift car and smashing it onto the ground repeatedly, completely destroying the vehicle. It was also seen dragging an uprooted tree. The elephant attacked several parked cars and two-wheelers near the temple. The chaos resulted in the death of a driver who tried to control the animal. The victim, identified as Vishnu from Kollam, died on the spot, officials said.

The mahout, identified as Pradeep, was also rushed to a hospital for treatment, where he is reportedly recovering. It took more than an hour to neutralise and capture the elephant. Personnel from the Elephant Squad of the Forest Department attempted to capture the jumbo before it attempted to move out from the temple areas towards populated areas.

Later, at around noon, more than two hours after the elephant turned aggressive, a veterinarian tranquilised it. However, shortly after being darted, the animal became briefly more agitated and overturned another vehicle within the temple premises.