THOOTHUKUDI: A mahout and his relative were trampled to death on Monday evening. The tragic incident happened at the Thiruchendur Murugan Temple in Tamil Nadu. Udaya Kumar (45), who had been the elephant's caretaker for more than two decades, and his close relative Sisubalan (55) of Palukal in Kanyakumari are the two dead.

26-year-old elephant Deivanai of the temple trampled the two to death. The two were clicking photos standing next to the elephant. Reports said Sisubalan had provoked the elephant. He patted the elephant’s trunk and this made him aggressive and lifted him with its trunk and threw him to the ground.

Udyakumar, who came to Sisubalan’s rescue was smashed against the wall and crushed to death. Although the two were rushed to the hospital, their lives could not be saved. The bodies of Udayakumar and Sisubalan have been taken to Thiruchendur government hospital for postmortem.

A team of experts, including a veterinary doctor, is monitoring the health and behavior of the elephant. The elephant will be monitored for a certain period. The attack was caused by sudden provocation, said forest department officials.

An elephant attacked a priest at a temple in Thiruchendur in 1992. A similar incident happened in 2001. In both the incidents, the priests escaped with injuries, said the officials.