Video: Elephant rampage at Kerala festival leaves 17 injured

At least 17 people were injured, one of them critically, during an annual festival at a mosque in Kerala's Malappuram district when an elephant became agitated and charged into the crowd. The incident occurred late last night at the Puthiyangadi festival in Tirur, which had drawn hundreds of attendees.

 Visuals from the event show five elephants adorned with golden plates, a common practice in Kerala's festivals. As the crowd gathered to capture the majestic animals on their phones, one of the elephants, named Pakkathu Sreekuttan, suddenly became uncontrollable. Witnesses describe a scene of chaos as the elephant charged, with its mahout struggling to regain control.

In a particularly harrowing moment, the elephant lifted a man, swung him in the air, and flung him away. The man, whose condition remains critical, is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Kottakkal.

The ensuing panic caused a stampede-like situation as people scrambled to safety. Most of the injuries reported were a result of the crowd's desperate attempts to flee. Videos of the incident captured the sheer panic and confusion as attendees tried to escape the charging elephant.