VIDEO: Elephant tramples man to death as he tries to take selfie

Asok Bharti (L) tries to outrun a charging elephant (R) moments before tripping and being trampled on (YouTube)
Updated 05 September 2017
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VIDEO: Elephant tramples man to death as he tries to take selfie

DUBAI: This is the moment a frightened wild elephant killed a man on Saturday by stamping on him after he tried to take a selfie with the creature.

The man, identified by MailOnline as 50-year-old Asok Bharti, apparently approached the elephant in Kuanrmunda, Odisha state, eastern India when it became separated from its herd.

Park rangers were trying to guide the animal back when Bharti approached, but as he tried to take the photo the elephant charged at him and the man tried to run.

But Bharti tripped and fell to the ground and the elephant trampled on him, inflicting horrific injuries, he died on the way to hospital,

On the video, which was shot apparently from a safe distance, people can be heard shouting as the man tries to run for his life and then falling to the ground.

“Forest officials were trying to chase the elephant back to the herd when Bharti came too close to the animal to take a selfie…The animal was nervous as it had strayed away from his family and when the man came too close to it, the elephant in its rescue attacked him,” Philip Sahu, assistant conservator of forests, said.


Makkah museum displays world’s largest Qur’an

Updated 04 February 2026
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Makkah museum displays world’s largest Qur’an

MAKKAH: The Holy Qur’an Museum at the Hira Cultural District in Makkah is showcasing a monumental handwritten copy of the Holy Qur’an, recognized as the largest Qur’an of its kind in the world.

The manuscript measures 312 cm by 220 cm and comprises 700 pages, earning the museum recognition from Guinness World Records for displaying the world’s largest Qur’an, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The manuscript is a magnified reproduction of a historic Qur’an dating back to the 16th century, the SPA stated.

The original copy measures 45 cm by 30 cm, with the chapters written primarily in Thuluth script, while Surah Al-Fatiha was penned in Naskh, reflecting the refined artistic choices and calligraphic diversity of the era.

The Qur’an is a unique example of Arabic calligraphy, gilding and bookbinding, showcasing Islamic art through intricate decorations, sun-shaped motifs on the opening folio, and elaborately designed frontispiece and title pages that reflect a high level of artistic mastery.

The manuscript was endowed as a waqf in 1883. Its original version is currently preserved at the King Abdulaziz Complex for Endowment Libraries, serving as a lasting testament to Muslims’ enduring reverence for the Qur’an and the richness of Islamic arts across the centuries.