Elephant kills mahout; flees to forest with tourists on back

A rampaging elephant killed his mahout and fled into the nearby forest carrying a Russian female tourist and her eight-year-old daughter on his back in central Thailand, media reports said.

The incident happened yesterday at Puvara Tour elephant camp which offers elephant rides for visitors in Muang district.

The 18-year-old male elephant, Phlai Meow, was on a forest tour with the Russian tourist and her daughter on its back. The animal was steered and guided by 60-year-old mahout Sook Submark, Bangkok Post quoting ASTV Manager, a popular Thai language newspaper.

The jumbo, who was reportedly showing highly aggressive behaviour, trampled Sook to death and ran into the wilds, carrying the tourists. Sook's body was found in a canal about 200 metres away from where he was killed, the report said.

A rescue team of mahouts, police and livestock officials later located the elephant in a palm oil plantation at an adjacent resort. They then shot the animal with two anaesthetic darts, reports said.

Another mahout reportedly managed to jump from a slope on the elephant's neck and managed to control him. The two tourists safely jumped down from the elephant's back