Bhubaneswar:
A 20-year-old elephant Friday trampled a mahout (elephant trainer) to death in Odisha, an official said.
The incident occurred near Kumarkhunti in Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary in Khordha district, close to state capital Bhubaneswar, when the mahout was taking the pachyderm for a bath, sitting atop its neck.
The mahout fell as the elephant swerved suddenly, and the animal trampled the mahout to death, divisional forest officer S.N. Mohapatra said.
The elephant had been behaving erratically since it was captured from the wild a few years ago.
The mahout, a resident of Assam, was in Odisha to train the animal, the forest officer said.