{
  "id": 12178524,
  "title": "Tusker Pallattu Brahmadathan, who died in a lightning strike, cremated in Keralam",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/tusker-pallattu-brahmadathan-who-died-in-a-lightning-strike-cremated",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-05T15:25:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/tusker-pallattu-brahmadathan-who-died-in-a-lightning-strike-cremated-in-keralam/article71547360.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Monday, a large crowd gathered at the Pallattu house in Melambara near Pala to pay their final respects to Pallattu Brahmadathan, a 54-year-old tusker who passed away following a lightning strike on Sunday evening. The elephant, known for his presence at temple festivals across Keralam for nearly three decades, had been a familiar sight in the region. Post-mortem examination by the Forest department concluded by noon, the tusker was later cremated on a plot near the house. The tusker, brought to Keralam around 1999 and initially owned by Pothen Varghese of Puthuppally, was then acquired by Rajesh Pallattu, the State president of the Kerala Festival Coordination Committee, before being named Pallattu Brahmadathan. The elephant was under observation for musth and was resting in a shed on the premises when the lightning struck on Sunday evening. The animal was set to be released from the shed within a week after the musth period. Officials stated that a similar incident occurred in Pala 12 years ago, where a tusker named Thiruvappallil Krishnan Kutty died after being struck by lightning near Kadapattur.",
  "summary": "The animal was cremated on a plot near the Pallattu house at Melambara near Pala following a post-mortem examination",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}