An elephant turned unruly and ran amok near Vempally here on Wednesday, injuring one of its mahouts and throwing the area into panic for over two hours.
The tusker, Vylassery Arjunan, ran amok while being transported back to Balussery on a truck after taking part in a temple festival. All attempts by its two mahouts to bring it under control failed. The injured mahout, 42-year-old Salim of Moothedam, was rushed to the Kottayam Medical College Hospital.
When the lorry reached Vempally, the safety chains securing the elephant loosened. To fix them, the mahouts brought the elephant down onto the MC Road. Hearing the noise of passing vehicles, the elephant panicked, ran amok, and overturned a few advertisement boards along the roadside. When the mahouts tried to restrain the animal, it turned towards them and gored the chief mahout.
Meanwhile, traffic along the MC Road near Kuravilangad was disrupted for nearly an hour. After more than two hours, an additional team of mahouts brought in from Arpookkara and Thalayolaparambu managed to bring the elephant under control and tether it to a tree.
Published – November 26, 2025 08:47 pm IST
