A mahout (elephant handler) was killed after being attacked by an elephant during a Perahera in the Karandeniya area last night.
The mahout, a 45-year-old resident of Rideegama, was rushed to hospital in critical condition following the incident which had occurred at around midnight yesterday (24).
However, he had succumbed to injuries and was pronounced dead on admission to the hospital.
Ada Derana reporter said that the rampaging elephant had subsequently attacked and caused damages to several houses in the area.
A team of Wildlife officers and veterinarians had managed to capture the elephant later on by using tranquilizers.
The body of the deceased has been placed that the Balapitiya Hospital while Karandeniya Police is conducting further investigations.
The incident was also recorded on nearby CCTV cameras.
