This is the moment elephants went on the rampage at a religious festival in India leaving one man crushed to death and 12 others injured.
The animals were being paraded at Guruvayur temple in the south India state of Kerala when chaos broke out.
Dramatic footage shows one of the elephants smashing down a barrier as it lunged at crowds just a few feet away.
Footage captures the moment elephants went on the rampage at a religious festival in India leaving one man crushed to death and 12 others injured
Rampage: The animals were being paraded at Guruvayur temple in the south India state of Kerala when chaos broke out
Dramatic footage shows one of the elephants smashing down a barrier as it lunged at crowds just a few feet awa
Mobile phone clips they show another running down walkways in the temple as terrified worshippers ran for their lives, sparking a stampede.
The elephants – Gopi Kannan, which was carrying the Lord’s idol, Sreekrishnan and Ravi Krishnan – were walking in the procession at the temple for ‘Kazhcha Seeveli’ at about 8.15am.
It is thought the rampage may have started when one of the elephants accidentally swiped another’s tail with its trunk.
Sreekrishnan was the first one to run amok, followed by the two others, killing one and causing serious injuries to around 12 others.
Mobile phone clips they show another running down walkways in the temple as terrified worshippers ran for their lives, sparking a stampede
The elephant rampage sparked a stampede in the temple. One person was killed and 12 were injured in the chaos
At the time of the incident, the area was packed with pilgrims who were at the temple for Sunday worship
At the time of the incident, the area was packed with pilgrims who were at the temple for Sunday worship.
Sreekrishnan stormed through the temple premises, turned on its handler and gored him to death. The temple authorities identified the deceased as Kothachira Veluthedath Subash, 37.
A seven-year-old girl, Radha, who was also injured in the incident, was discharged after medical treatment.
Several others also suffered injuries as there was a heavy rush in the temple in the morning.
Gopi Kannan ran through the temple before escaping through the main gate. It suffered severe rashes after scraping its body on an iron rod and steel pieces inside the temple.