KOZHIKODE: Three devotees died and 35 sustained severe injuries during a temple festival at Manakkulangara Bhagavathy Temple near Koyilandy after an elephant went on a rampage on Thursday evening.
The deceased have been identified as Leela, Ammukutty and Rajan.
First, an elephant turned violent and attacked another elephant standing beside it. Followingly, both the elephants ran amok leaving a portion of the temple office building damaged.
Five people are in critical condition at a hospital.
"As per primary information received, the elephants turned violent due to fireworks and loud music. The bodies of Leela and Ammukutty were shifted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. Rajan passed away as he was taken to Meitra Hospital."
"The injured persons have been admitted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital," said Kanathil Jameela, Koyilandy MLA.
The visuals of the incident surfaced on social media in which elephants were seen damaging the building and aggressively moving towards people.
"The event was attended by hundreds of devotees and many more were turning up as it was the last day of the festival. There could have been an increased toll had the incident occurred a little late," said Bindu PB, Anela-Kuruvangad ward councillor.