Elephant mother and calf daubed in flowers by Indian villagers after they were electrocuted when they walked into an electricity pole

Elephants are revered as sacred god-like animals in India, and this certainly proved true as two of the animals were colourfully mourned by a community.

They both perished near the Kiranchandra Tea Garden, near Siliguli, after becoming trapped in electrical wiring.

A calf had initially got stuck in the live wires before the mother came to rescue her calf and also died, according to local blog ilovesiliguli.

However, pictures show a circle of people standing around the elephants as they form a makeshift funeral.

The dead animals have also been brightly decorated with flowers as part of the send-off.