Elephants run amok in Guruvayur temple, mahout killed

Tension prevailed at the Sri Krishna Temple in Guruvayur after three elephants ran amok during a ceremonial procession at the temple early on Sunday, leading to the death of a mahout and injuries to at least two people.

The mahout, identified as Subhash (35), was admitted in a private hospital in Thrissur after one of the elephants, Srikrishnan, struck him with his trunk and tusks. He died late in the evening.

Hospital sources told DH that he had sustained injuries in his lungs.

The incident happened during the daily, ritualistic  seeveli procession with caparisoned elephants, at about 7 am, in the presence of hundreds of devotees.

Srikrishnan attacked the mahout during the procession, triggering a commotion that led two other elephants to run into the crowd. A priest was thrown off from atop one of the unruly elephants that was carrying the temple idol. Some of the devotees sustained minor injuries in the commotion.

One of the elephants ran out of the temple complex even as the mahouts and administrative staff tried to bring the situation under control. The elephants were tethered an hour after the incident.