British tourist trampled to death by Thai elephant
Monday, 03 Feb, 2016
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A Scottish tourist has died after being gored and trampled by an elephant on the Thai holiday island of Koh Samui.
Police named the man as 36-year old Gareth Crowe who was riding the elephant with his teenage daughter.
They were suddenly thrown off and district police chief Paiboon Omark said Crowe was unable to escape the marauding elephant as he had a prosthetic leg.
"We suspect that the hot weather made the elephant angry and that he was not accustomed to his mahout (trainer)," Paiboon Omark.
Crowe’s 16-year old daughter Eilidh Hughes, also sustained injuries.
The trek operator Island Safari Tour is under investigation by authorities but is registered to operate elephant trekking.
"Police have yet to press charges on anyone. They are now looking into whether the incident was an accident or could have been prevented," said Wongsiri Promchana, governor of Surat Thani province.
A spokesman for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are offering support to the family of a British national who has sadly died following an incident in Koh Samui, Thailand, and are making contact with the local authorities to seek further information."
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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