British tourist dies in Thailand after being trampled by elephant

A British tourist has died after being trampled and gored by an elephant in Thailand.

The man, named as Gareth Crowe, 36, from Scotland, was riding on the animal's back with his daughter on Monday afternoon when it suddenly threw them off, police said.

The ride was part of a popular trek offered by tour companies on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand.

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"We suspect that the hot weather made the elephant angry and that he was not accustomed to his mahout," police told reporters, referring to the person who trains, controls and rides an elephant, usually after years of building up a close bond with the animal.

In the moments leading up to the attack, the elephant appeared upset and the mahout had been hitting him with a stick because it would not obey his instructions, witnesses told the Scottish Sun.

The animal then attacked the driver with its trunk before stabbing him in the chest with a tusk and rearing on its hind legs.

Police said Crowe had a prosthetic leg and was unable to run away from the elephant, which trampled on the British tourist before goring him.

His daughter and the mahout, a Myanmar national, were both injured but escaped and are out of danger, they added.

A spokesman for the 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."

A spokeswoman for World Animal Protection told The Independent her thoughts were with Crowe's family, but said the incident was a "stark reminder" that elephants are wild animals that are not supposed to be ridden.

She explained most tourists do not know the cruelty elephants on these tours are subjected to in order to make them tame enough to give rides.

She said: "If you can ride it, hug it or have a selfie with a wild animal, then the chances are it is cruel and the animal is suffering."