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More than a dozen festival-goers were injured after an elephant taking part in a Buddhist pageant in Sri Lanka went on a rampage.

The procession in Kotte, near the country’s capital, began with a government minister placing a sacred relic on a decorated casket atop an elephant adorned with shiny red clothing.

But it quickly turned disastrous when the elephant surged forward, sending some of the terrified worshipers straight into another one which then ran amok.

Shocking footage showed a man riding on the elephant’s back narrowly avoid being trampled after he was shaken off as the huge animal heads straight into a crowd.




Officials from two hospitals said 18 injured people were brought in following the stampede, including women and at least two children, and 16 have been discharged.

More than a dozen were hurt when the elephant bolted (Picture: Derana TV)

Emergency services and other worshipers helped carry those injured to ambulances (Picture: Derana TV)

(Picture: Derana TV)

Two young boys appeared to be among those wounded (Picture: Derana TV)

It is another elephant-related controversy for Sri Lanka after photos emerged last month showing a starving 70-year-old female forced to don a colourful costume hiding her emaciated body.

According to the Save Elephant Foundation, Tikiri was one of 60 elephants forced to work for 10 nights in a row at the Esala Perahera Buddhist festival in Kandy.

The organisation’s founder, Lek Chailert, said in a heartfelt post on World Elephant Day: ‘No one sees her bony body or her weakened condition, because of her costume.

‘No one sees the tears in her eyes, injured by the bright lights that decorate her mask, no one sees her difficulty to step as her legs are short shackled while she walks.’

A spokesperson for the Sacred Tooth Relic, a Buddhist temple that hosts the festival, previously told Metro.co.uk that they ‘always care about the animals’ and confirmed Tikiri had been seen by an elephant doctor.

Photos emerged last month of starving 70-year-old female Tikiri wearing a costume to cover her emaciated body (Picture: Saengduean Lek Chailert)

She was said to be one of 60 forced to march on 10 consecutive nights at a festival in Kandy (Picture: Saengduean Lek Chailert)

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