Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday sought a report from the state government on the chaos caused by two elephants running amok during a temple festival in Kozhikode. The incident, which occurred on Thursday evening at the Manakulangara Temple near Koyilandy, resulted in the deaths of three elderly persons, including two women, and left around 30 others injured.

A bench comprising Justices Anil K Narendran and Muralee Krishna S directed the livestock officer of the Guruvayur Devaswom Board to appear before the court with relevant documents, including the feeding records of the elephants. The court also sought responses from the Forest Department and the police, scheduling the next hearing for February 17, reported PTI.

The case was brought up while reviewing a petition filed by a Canada-based Malayali seeking better care for elephants owned by the Guruvayur Devaswom Board. According to police reports, the incident was triggered by firecrackers bursting during the festival, agitating the elephants. In their panic, the animals attacked each other and collided with a nearby building, causing a wall to collapse on devotees. The chaos led to a stampede as the crowd fled in fear. The deceased are Vattamkandy Leela (68), Vadakkayil Rajan (66), and Mayooram Ammukutty (65).

Authorities are now assessing the circumstances that led to the mishap and identifying potential measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.

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