Elephant runs amok in Thrissur, damages vehicles

A jumbo ran amok in a residential area in Thrissur city on Saturday morning, destroying vehicles and properties, creating panic among the people, police said.

Nobody was injured in the incident, they added.

The elephant suddenly got agitated while returning from a temple and ran a couple of kilometres through the city, police said.

It overturned or damaged vehicles in its path, damaged the walls of some houses and trees as it moved around in the colony where BJP leader B Gopalakrishnan also resides.

One of the vehicles damaged in the incident was the car of a woman who was on her way to work.

According to TV visuals, the elephant flipped the car onto its side after raising it up and down a few times with its tusks.

The woman, Sangeetha, told a TV channel that people pulled her out of the car after the elephant left and said she was fortunate to escape without any injuries.

After around an hour, the mahouts of the elephant managed to chain the hind legs of the elephant, but it had not calmed down even then.

Meanwhile, State Forest Minister Shibu Baby John told a TV channel that on coming to know of the incident, he immediately gave instructions for dispatching an elephant squad to the area.

He said that senior forest officials would reach the area and take necessary steps.

He also said that instructions were given to use tranquiliser darts, if required.

Meanwhile, some photojournalists claimed that some people assaulted them and damaged their equipment to prevent them from taking photographs of the elephant.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)