Two elephants ran amok during a temple festival, triggering a stampede that left three people dead and around thirty injured.

The incident occurred at the Manakulangara temple festival in Koyilandy town, in Kozhikode district, in southern India’s Kerala on the evening of February 13.

Visuals show the two elephants wreaking havoc inside the shrine while two people remain atop them. The tuskers rams into a nearby building, causing its walls to collapse. Bystanders flee in panic, while some attempt to control the animals as both elephants charge outside the temple. Later, locals are seen helping the injured and treating them near the debris caused by the elephants.

According to reports, the chaos began around 05:30 PM when one of the elephants, startled by fireworks during the festival, charged at another elephant. The tuskers then destroyed the temple office, trapping several people under the debris, which resulted in the deaths of two women and a man. Around thirty people were injured, with at least five in serious condition. As the panicked crowd ran to escape, several people fell and were trampled. The injured were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Both elephants were eventually subdued by their mahouts after three hours before they reached the main road.