Elephant Attack Injures 17 at Kerala Festival, One Critical

At least 17 people were injured, one critically, when an elephant went on a rampage during an annual festival at a mosque in Kerala‘s Malappuram district late Tuesday night. The incident occurred in Tirur, where hundreds had gathered for the Puthiyangadi festival. Footage shows the elephant, named Pakkathu Sreekuttan, lifting a man with its trunk and flinging him into the air before charging into the crowd.

The critically injured man was rushed to MIMS Hospital in Kotakkal, where he is undergoing treatment. Most injuries resulted from a stampede as panicked attendees tried to flee. Witnesses reported that the mahout struggled to control the elephant, which took nearly two hours to subdue. The animal was eventually secured near a mast to prevent further chaos.

This incident follows recent tragedies involving elephants in Kerala. Earlier this week, a 37-year-old tribal man died after being trampled by a wild elephant in the Nilambur forest. In November, a mahout and his relative were killed by a temple elephant in Tiruchendur. Authorities are investigating the latest incident to determine the cause of the elephant’s agitation.