Two captive elephants spooked by firecrackers caused a stampede during a religious festival in India.

The jumbos wearing gold-coloured metal headdresses were being paraded outside Manakulangara Temple during the celebration when they went on a rampage in Kerala on February 13.

Footage shows the elephants knocking off their caretakers as fireworks blasted amid drum beats.

They ran towards a crowd of devotees who rushed to flee and were seen trying to fight off caretakers who tried to round them up.

Three pensioners were killed, and dozens of others were injured after the chaos.

Police said three pensioners, identified as Ammukkutty, 70, Leela, 65, and Rajan, 70, were killed when a temple wall collapsed on them.

At least 30 more people were injured in the frenzy. They were taken to the Koyilandy Taluk Hospital and Kozhikode Medical College Hospitals for treatment.

Local police chief K E Baiju said: 'One of the elephants was agitated by the noise of firecrackers. It jabbed the second elephant with its tusk, and they fought each other, causing panic at the temple.

'The elephants subsequently ran into the temple committee office, a portion of which collapsed and injured a number of people.'

State Forest Minister A K Saseendran said he demanded an urgent report regarding the incident from the District Collector and the Chief Forest Conservator (Social Forestry) of the Northern Region. He said a probe will be launched to determine if there were violations of the Kerala Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) regulations.

Local government official Kanathil Jameela said: 'The majority of the injured individuals were those who fell during the commotion and were kicked by the animals.'

State Health Minister Veena George also ordered 'special arrangements' for the wounded devotees recovering from the incident.

The horror elephant attack comes a week after a mahout was brutally trampled by a rampaging jumbo during a festival in the same state.

The jumbo named Vallamkulam Narayanan Kutty had been paraded around for a religious procession when it went berserk at a mosque, at 11:45 pm on February 6.

The out-of-control creature brutally kicked and stepped on its handler, Kunjumon Ibrahim, 50, killing him in front of terrified locals.

Elephants in India are deeply intertwined with the country's culture, religion, and ecology. The Indian elephant, a subspecies of the Asian elephant, is found in forests across the country, particularly in states like Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and West Bengal.

They play a significant role in Hindu and Buddhist traditions, often symbolising wisdom and strength, with Lord Ganesha being the most famous elephant deity in the Hindu pantheon.