- Thirteen were hospitalised with minor injuries and have since been released
A Hindu religious festival descended into chaos after an elephant in the procession ran amok and injured more than a dozen people in the crowd.
Elephants covered in red, blue and gold robes from trunk to tail, were paraded in front of a large crowd at the Ruhunu Kataragama Perahera in Sri Lanka on Saturday while cymbals clanged.
But one of the elephants became panicked during the procession, wreaking havoc on the festival.
Video footage shared on social media showed an elephant keeper trying to pull the agitated animal by its tail in a desperate attempt to control it, while screaming devotees lining the street rushed to escape.
Thirteen people were taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries. They have all since been discharged.
The Ruhunu Kataragama Perahera in Sri Lanka descended into chaos on Saturday after an elephant in the procession ran amok and injured 13 people in the crowd
Video shared on social media showed screaming devotees lining the street rushed to escape
A large crowd had gathered in Kataragama, 280 kilometres (175 miles) south of the capital Colombo, on Saturday night to watch the parade.
The rampage broke out around 8.30pm whilst the procession was underway, witnesses told the Lankasara newspaper.
They recall seeing one elephant suddenly turn back and start running towards the sheds, allegedly prompting other elephants to become violent.
Witnesses described the incident as a 'stampede', according to the news outlet.
A police spokesperson confirmed that 13 people had been injured, none critically, and were being treated at a nearby hospital.
A spokesman for the state-run Kataragama hospital said on Sunday, the day after the incident, that all the injured had been discharged.
Elephants are considered sacred in Sri Lanka, but animal cruelty laws are rarely enforced.
Animal rights groups have criticised the widespread use of elephants at temple ceremonies in Sri Lanka.
An elephant keeper is seen trying to pull the agitated animal by its tail in a desperate attempt to control it
Thirteen people were taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries. They have all since been discharged. Pictured are bystanders and one elephant during the rampage on Saturday night
Elephants covered in red, blue and gold robes from trunk to tail, were paraded in front of a large crowd at the Ruhunu Kataragama Perahera in Sri Lanka on Saturday
There have been instances when the animals have gone berserk at parades involving loud music and fireworks.
In August 2023, dozens of pilgrims jumped into a lake in the central city of Kandy to escape five agitated young elephants. Several people were hurt and one woman was hospitalised.
In 2019, at least 17 people were injured when elephants ran amok at a temple festival in Colombo.
Official records show there are about 200 domesticated elephants in the island nation, along with a wild population of around 7,500.
The government has banned the capture of wild elephants but dozens of calves have been stolen in recent years, often after their mothers were killed by their captors.
