Laurence Dollimore
A SPANISH tourist has died after being gored by an elephant’s tusk in Thailand.
The 22-year-old was ‘attacked’ on Friday while bathing with the animal at the Koh Yao Elephant Care centre on the island of Yao Yai (stock photo of the centre above right).
She has been named as Blanca Ojanguren (pictured above left), and was known for her love of traveling and experiencing new cultures, reports El Español.
The death has been confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Spanish Embassy is assisting her relatives.
The young woman was from Valladolid and had been studying Law and International Relations at the University of Navarra, in Pamplona, ??since 2020, reports Diario de Navarra.
Local police in Thailand first reported the death, which was later confirmed by the elephant centre.
A worker explained that the tourist was bathing the elephant when she passed in front of the animal and it ‘stuck a tusk in her,’ causing injuries from which she later died.
“The Consulate in Bangkok is in contact with the relatives, offering all necessary consular assistance,” said Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares.
Washing elephants, or bathing with them, are popular activities for tourists in Thailand.
Most incidents with elephants usually occur with wild specimens, which sometimes cross into areas inhabited by people, due to the loss of natural habitat.
In the last 12 years, there have been 240 deaths due to attacks by wild elephants, including 39 fatalities in 2024, according to data from the Department of National Parks cited by The Nation newspaper.
