BANGKOK: Police in Phang Nga province have filed charges against a Thai mahout after an elephant under his care caused the death of a Spanish tourist on Koh Yao Yai island in Koh Yao district.
Theerayut Inthaphudkij, 38, was charged with negligence resulting in the death of 23-year-old Spanish national Blanca Ojanguren Garcia on Friday (Jan 3), the Phang Nga Tourism and Sports Office said on Monday (Jan 6).
Garcia was rushed to the Andaman International Clinic for the treatment of a head injury she sustained when the 45-year-old female elephant, Phang Somboon, pushed her during an elephant show at the Koh Yao Elephant Care and House.
The show includes bathing with elephants in a pond, the office said.
Witnesses said that the elephant was startled by Garcia and used its trunk to push her into the cemented edge of the pond, causing a fatal head injury.
Garcia succumbed to her injuries later that evening.
The victim’s body has been sent to Koh Yao Chaipat Hospital for autopsy, while her relatives have been contacted for identification.
The victim had entered Thailand on Dec 26 with her boyfriend.
The office is coordinating with the attraction’s owner and the tour company to arrange compensation for the family. - The Nation/ANN
