Kozhikode: Three people died, and at least 36 others were injured after elephants ran amok during a festival at Manakkulangara Temple in Kuruvangad, Koyilandy, on Thursday.

The deceased are Leela (68), Rajan (66), and Ammukkutty (65). Leela and Ammukutty were natives of Kuruvangad. Among the injured, 21 were admitted to Koyilandy Taluk Hospital. Fourteen others were taken to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, where one remains in critical condition.

The chaos erupted when two elephants, Peethambaran and Gokul, turned violent. “One elephant became aggressive and provoked the other, leading to a clash. In the panic that followed, many festival attendees sustained injuries. The elephants were eventually brought under control by mahouts,” said Bindu PB, Anela-Kuruvangad ward councillor. The rampaging elephants also damaged the festival office at the temple premises.

Koyilandy Municipal Vice Chairman K Sathiyan confirmed that the bodies of Leela and Ammukutty are currently at the Taluk Hospital and will be shifted to the medical college for post-mortem.

According to Koyilandy police, the number of injured may rise as more cases are reported. The incident occurred a day after Viswanathan (62) collapsed and died while attending the festival, prompting the temple authorities to scale down the remaining festivities.