Mahout injured after elephant in Tirumala temple gets alarmed by bursting balloon

The incident occurred at Tirumala, where the elephant was reportedly frightened by the sound of a bursting balloon.

It took place when two elephants Lakshmi and Avanija, with their mahouts, were taken to the shrine of Lord Venkateswara to participate in a ritual for the `Vahana Seva` after the `Sahasra Deepalankara' programme in the evening.

Hill temple Deputy Executive Officer Kodanda Rama Rao reportedly said that the elephant, Avanija, was frightened by the sound of bursting of a balloon carried by a devotee's child and tried to run away.

The mahout, Gangaiah, attempted to calm the elephant but failed. The angry elephant threw him on a nearby grill gate.

Meanwhile, the other mahouts tamed the elephant and brought it under control.

Gangaiah was severely injured and was rushed to the Orthopedic Super Specialty Hospital of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), The New Indian Express reported.

Gangaiah is out of danger but suffered a fracture in his right leg and injuries on his body due to the incident.

Last month, a man was killed in Srikakulam district when he was on the way to his village by a herd of wild elephants at the Andhra-Odisha border.

Four wild elephants attacked him, following which villagers found him dead.

In October, forest officials in Andhra's Chittoor district captured a wild elephant that had strayed into the Ramasundram mandal.   

After an operation that lasted for more than a week, the elephant was tranquilized and captured at the foothills of the Addagutta Hill.