Andhra Pradesh: Five devotees en route to temple dead in elephant attack | Latest News India

At least five devotees were killed and several others injured when a herd of elephants attacked them while they were walking through the Seshachalam forest en route to Lord Shiva’s temple at Talakona in Andhra Pradesh’s Annamayya district for the Mahashivratri celebrations around 5.30am on Tuesday.

A police officer said the devotees attempted to scare the elephants by shouting. “…the elephants became aggressive. …the elephants encircled and attacked them,” he said.

The devotees ran for their lives but the elephants trampled upon some of them leaving five dead on the spot and several others injured. Police and forest department officials rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. “The injured were immediately shifted to a nearby hospital, where doctors have said that the condition of two remained critical,” said the police officer.

Police said the devotees who were killed were from Urlagaddapadu village in the Railway Koduru Mandal. Further details were awaited.