
NONG BUA LAM PHU: An elephant trampled on five people at a fair when fireworks were lit during the opening ceremony in this northeastern province on Saturday night, but no-one was seriously hurt.
According to disaster prevention and mitigation officials, the incident happened at the Red Cross fair in Nong Bua Lam Phu's Muang district at about 7.30pm on Saturday.
The 10-year-old male elephant and its mahout from Surin province arrived at the fair to sell sugarcane for fair visitors to feed the pachyderm.
When fireworks were lit during the fair's opening ceremony, the startled elephant ran over five people, causing minor injuries.
Livestock development officials caught up with the elephant and the mahout a few kilometres from the fair venue. The mahout said he had not sought permission to enter the fair or move the elephant from its home province of Surin to Nong Bua Lam Phu.