A religious festival in Sri Lanka ended in chaos after an elephant in the Hindu parade panicked and ran amok.
About a dozen people are reported to have been injured, most of them in connection with the crowd fleeing in fear. However, no one is said to have been seriously injured.
Video clips on social media show how an elephant handler tries to hold onto the panicked animal by the tail, while pilgrims and festival-goers throw themselves to the side.
Elephants are considered sacred in Sri Lanka, but animal rights organizations have for years been warning about the cruel treatment of animals and criticizing the use of elephants in temple ceremonies.
In August last year, several pilgrims were injured when five young, stressed elephants ran amok. In 2019, 17 people were injured when several elephants panicked during a temple festival in Colombo.
