Flash floods swept through a popular elephant sanctuary in northern Thailand, killing two elephants and forcing the evacuation of about 100 more alongside dozens of tourists, amid urgent pleas for help.
Dramatic video and images from the Elephant Nature Park near the city of Chiang Mai showed dozens of elephants wading through belly-deep water to find safety on higher ground.
While many of the animals found shelter on a nearby mountain overnight, come morning, Saengduean said the danger was far from over.
One of the two elephants which died was Ploy Thong, who was blind, Saengduean. Two others are still missing.
Northern Thailand has suffered severe flooding and landslides in recent weeks due to torrential rains brought by Typhoon Yagi, Asia’s most powerful storm this year, which left dozens dead as it swept across the region in mid-September.
Authorities in Chaing Mai, a popular tourist destination in Thailand, have issued alerts for potential flooding as water levels along the Ping River, which runs through the city, reach dangerous levels.
The Elephant Nature Park is an elephant rescue and rehabilitation center in the Chiang Mai countryside that has rescued more than 200 elephants from the tourism and logging industries since its inception in the 1990s.
It also runs tours and volunteering programs that allow visitors to observe the animals or help with conservation work.
Many of the elephants are blind or have physical injuries, which have hindered their ability to escape and complicated evacuation efforts.
