Two Qatar residents, both of them Indian expatriates, have died while on vacation in their home country in a tragic incident on Friday.

Narayanan Patteri (65) also known as Babu and Murugan Ganagadharan (60), were trampled to death by an elephant that was frightened by the bursting of firecrackers near it during a house warming ceremony near Gurvayoor in Kerala. The elephant was brought to the newly built house as part of a vow by the house owner and was scheduled to be marched to a nearby temple.

Patteri died on the spot while Gangadharan passed away in a nearby hospital, sources said. Both had gone to attend the house warming ceremony of a friend at his invitation.

Patteri was the operations manager of Al Sadd Exchange. He hailed from Kannur while Gangadharan came from Kozhikode, in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

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