Kerala, India: Man, 40, trampled to death after elephant breaks free from chains and goes on rampage
Wild footage shows the elephant throwing and overturning parked cars, after it had trampled a man to death.
A man has been killed after an elephant broke free from its chains during a festival in Kerala, India.
On May 1, a man identified as Vishnu was killed after transporting an elephant to the nearby Kidangoor Mahavishnu Temple for a festival, local news outlets reported.
The elephant reportedly turned aggressive and broke free from its restraints while being taken for watering around 9.15am local time, News Karnataka reports.
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The elephant’s rampage didn’t end there, however. It then rammed into its primary caretaker, Pradeep, who sustained serious injuries and is currently undergoing treatment in an intensive care unit.
Wild footage shows the elephant throwing and overturning parked cars, and causing damage to property.
After nearly four hours of chaos, the elephant was successfully tranquillised by a specialised Elephant Squad from the Forest Department.
Just hours later, a second fatal elephant attack took place at Koodalmanikyam Temple in Irinjalakuda, Thrissur district, News Karnataka reports.
The elephant broke out of its temporary enclosure on Friday afternoon and attacked one of its handlers, who suffered severe chest injuries after being trampled.
The victim known as Sreekuttan, 25, later died of his injuries.
The elephant had reportedly shown signs of distress during a ritual procession the previous night.
It’s not the first time an elephant has gone on such a rampage in India.
In December last year, five people were trampled to death by elephants in a 24-hour period.
Two women and three men were killed in separate wild elephant attacks on December 16, in the Ramgarh and Ranchi districts.
One 36-year-old was killed in Jidu village while three more were killed in the Sirka forest region of Ramgarh.
A man identified as Amit Kumar Rajwar, 32, died while he was approaching a herd of eight elephants to take videos of them and selfies with them.
