Mahout Slips While Bathing Elephant, Accidentally Crushed To Death In Kerala

In a tragic incident a mahout was crushed under the weight of an elephant after it squat on him while bating.

The incident happened in Kottayam in Kerala on Sunday morning, when the mahout, identified as Arun Panicker was bathing an elephant.

CCTV footage from the spot showed Arun who was standing on the left side of the jumbo directing the elephant, Bharath Vishwanathan to lie down.

As the elephant was about to lie down to the left side, Arun tried to make it lie down on to the other side by swinging his hook.

But due to the water on the floor, the 42-year-old mahout lost his balance and slipped. Meanwhile the elephant, unaware of the fallen mahout lied down, crushing Aurn's head under its weight.?

An assistant who saw the entire thing rushed to the spot and tried to pull Arun out, but failed. After multiple attempts he was able to make the elephant stand up. The CCTV showed the assistant pulling out, what appears to be a lifeless body. Arun was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Mahouts getting killed by elephants is not anything new in Kerala which has large population of domesticated jumbos.

Often the elephants turn on their handler due to ill treatment including piercing them with hooks, to keep them obedient.

There have also been incidents where elephants running berserk during temple processions goring their mahouts who would be sitting on it at the time.