21.10.2026 20:31
In Varanasi, India, an elephant that broke its chain and went out of control caused hours of terrifying moments. The elephant, which seriously injured its handler who intervened and damaged nearby electric poles and buildings, was only caught after about 13 hours of efforts by teams.
An elephant brought to the city of Varanasi in India for a festival broke its chains and wreaked havoc. The giant animal lifted its handler, who was trying to restrain it, into the air with its trunk and hurled him to the ground, and could only be brought under control after a breathtaking operation lasting about 13 hours.
IT HURLED ITS HANDLER TO THE GROUND WITH ITS TRUNK
The incident occurred during the Ramnagar Ramleela event held in the city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh state. The elephant named "Dhanraj", brought from the city of Azamgarh, broke the iron chain it was tied to in the morning hours and went out of control. Handler Chaplu, who made a move to calm the elephant, became the target of the angry animal. The elephant lifted its handler into the air with its trunk in a single move and violently hurled him to the ground, seriously injuring the unfortunate man. It was learned that the condition of the handler, who was taken to hospital, remains serious.
IT KNOCKED DOWN ELECTRICITY POLES AND DAMAGED THE SURROUNDINGS
The angry elephant, once free, advanced through the streets and damaged shops and structures in its path. Due to the electricity pole it knocked down, power outages occurred in the area for hours, while police teams closed main roads to traffic. In the city where shopkeepers lowered their shutters, ongoing festival performances were also stopped for security reasons.
A BREATHTAKING OPERATION LASTING 13 HOURS
After local teams were left helpless, a special expert team was dispatched to the area from Gorakhpur Zoo. With the intervention of a 4-person expert team equipped with tranquilizer rifles and special medication, the angry elephant was brought under control by being put to sleep with an injection after exactly 13 hours of arduous effort. The teams that neutralized the elephant ended the great panic that had lasted for hours in the city.