THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING

Provoked by drunkard, elephant kills three in India

Email|Print|Single Page| Text size – +
April 24, 2008

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India (Reuters) - At least three people were trampled to death by an elephant and several injured when an intoxicated man touched its tusk on Wednesday during a Hindu festival in southern India, police said.

The male elephant went berserk in a town in Kerala state and destroyed a temple's theatre and tower as hundreds of people ran in fear.

"The elephant was provoked by a man who was drunk," P.S. Suresh said on Thursday.

Indian television channels showed pictures of the elephant repeatedly trampling the man, hurling another with its trunk and attacking other elephants.

Forest officials rushed to the spot and fired tranquilizers to calm the elephant, Ebby Mathew, director of a company that owns elephants in the region said on Thursday.

Hundreds of captive elephants are booked in advance by organizers of fairs and festivals in southern India to attract people, often causing accidents.

At least 49 people have been killed by elephants in southern India since August 2006, the Kerala Elephant Lovers Association said.

(Reporting by Devasia Jose; Editing by Bappa Majumdar)

© Copyright 2008 Reuters. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Reuters or its third-party content providers. Any copying, republication, or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.

more stories like this

  • Email
  • Email
  • Print
  • Print
  • Single page
  • Single page
  • Reprints
  • Reprints
  • Share
  • Share
  • Comment
  • Comment
 
  • Share on DiggShare on Digg
  • Tag with Del.icio.us Save this article
  • powered by Del.icio.us
Your Name Your e-mail address (for return address purposes) E-mail address of recipients (separate multiple addresses with commas) Name and both e-mail fields are required.
Message (optional)
Disclaimer: Boston.com does not share this information or keep it permanently, as it is for the sole purpose of sending this one time e-mail.