Wayanad:

A video has gone viral showing a biker narrowly escaping a charging elephant in a forest fringe area in Kerala’s Wayanad.

The incident took place in the Thirunelli forest area when the man was travelling with his wife and child on the two-wheeler.

A person, travelling in a car near them, also had to drive in reverse to escape the enraged tusker.

The incident is said to have taken place on Saturday.

Kerala has witnessed a series of deaths of people due to the attack of wild elephants in recent months.

Last week, a 54-year-old tribal woman, who went inside the forest to graze her goat, was attacked and killed by a wild jumbo in Kerala’s Malappuram district.

A tribal man was also killed by a wild elephant in Nilambur forest in the northern district days ago.
 

At least 17 people were injured, one of them critically, when an elephant lost his cool during an annual festival at a mosque in Kerala’s Malappuram district late last night.

Hundreds had gathered at the Puthiyangadi festival at Tirur. Visuals show at least five elephants adorned with golden plates at the festival as people in the crowd tried to film them. Suddenly, one of them becomes agitated and charges into the crowd as the mahout struggles to control it. This elephant, named Pakkathu Sreekuttan, is then seen lifting a man and swinging him in the air before flinging him away.

The condition of the man is critical, according to reports, and he is being treated at a hospital in Kotakkal. Visuals captured the panic in the crowd as people struggled to run to safety. Most injuries were the result of the stampede-like situation due to the panic.

Some men were seen trying to control the elephant with chains. It took nearly two hours to bring the elephant under control. The elephant was then near a mast to prevent any further damage.