Flash floods swept through a renowned elephant sanctuary in northern Thailand on Thursday, killing two elephants and forcing the evacuation of nearly 100 other elephants, along with dozens of tourists.
Wading Through Floodwaters
The devastating floods hit the Elephant Nature Park, located near Chiang Mai, a popular destination for tourists and wildlife lovers.
Dramatic videos and images showed the elephants wading through floodwaters that reached up to their bellies, desperately seeking higher ground, according to Ziare.
Saengduean “Lek” Chailert, the founder of Elephant Nature Park, described it as the most severe flooding she had ever witnessed at the park.
"It was the largest evacuation we’ve ever conducted to save their lives. The water rose quickly,” Chailert told CNN.
Two Elephants Missing
While many animals found refuge on a nearby mountain, the danger remains far from over. Thirteen adult elephants are still trapped in their enclosures and are panicking, according to Chailert.
One of the two elephants that tragically died was Ploy Thong, a blind elephant, and two other elephants remain missing.
“My heart is broken. They were swept away by the flood right before my eyes,” Chailert said in a tearful statement.
Northern Thailand has been hit by severe flooding and landslides over the past few weeks, driven by torrential rains brought by Typhoon Yagi, Asia’s most powerful storm of the year. The typhoon has claimed dozens of lives since mid-September, wreaking havoc across the region.
Authorities in Chiang Mai, a key tourist hub, have issued flood warnings as water levels along the Ping River, which flows through the city, continue to rise dangerously.
