RAYONG – A woman was trampled to death by a wild elephant after the herd was startled by the sound of fireworks, reports said on Tuesday.
Panita Nichee, 31, suffered multiple broken bones and was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The victim’s husband, Paiwal Sa-ngam, 33, said they were working at a rubber plantation in Khao Samao district, early Tuesday morning. He heard the sounds of elephants in the area, and upon turning around saw a herd of 20-30 moving in their direction.
“I told my wife to turn off the flashlight that was attached to her headband and we climbed up a nearby tree and waited until they left,” Mr Pawai told police.
As his climbed down from the tree he heard loud explosions of fireworks coming from an adjacent plantation, apparently to scare off the herd.
His wife then came face to face with two elephants, just as her feet touched the ground.
"One of them grabbed my wife with its trunk and threw her body to the ground and then crushed her with its feet,” Mr Paiwal said. He said Panita was rushed to the hospital, but her injuries were too severe and the doctors could not save her.
Khao Samao district chief, Insree Kurdmanee, said there have been several reports of elephant herds moving out of the forest in search of food. Two people had been killed and two more injured by elephants in the last few weeks, the district chief told reporters.
He said district authorities have deployed “watch teams” to warn people to avoid areas where elephant herds were spotted.
Chief Insree also advised rubber farmers to have a watchdog accompany them to their plantations.
He said the dogs could warn of possible danger when wild animals approach.
He said district authorities were following the movements of about 30 herds of elephants.
He also warned people to refrain from using fire crackers to scare off the elephants from their farms. This was the main cause of elephant-related fatalities in the area, because the elephants were spooked by the explosions and reacted aggressively.