Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed his condolences on Friday to the families of those who lost their lives in a stampede during a temple festival in Kozhikode, where two elephants caused panic.

The Incident

The tragic event occurred during the temple festival at Manakulangara Temple in Kuruvangad, Koyilandy, around 6 pm. Two elephants, Peethambaran and Gokul, became agitated after fireworks disturbed them. The elephants charged at each other, causing chaos and panic among the crowd.

Casualties and Injuries

Three people—Ammukutty, Leela, and Rajan—lost their lives in the incident. Two women and one man, all from Kuruvangad, were among the deceased. Approximately 30 others were injured and have been taken to Koyilandy Taluk Hospital and Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for treatment.

Eyewitness Accounts

Eyewitnesses reported that many people had a close escape as the elephants did not directly charge at the crowd. The mahouts, though thrown off the elephants, did not suffer serious injuries. It took about two hours to calm the two elephants.

Crowd at the Temple

The incident occurred on the last day of the temple festival, which had attracted a large crowd. Most of the injured were watching the Thayambaka performance inside a building when the elephants caused the stampede.