A tragic incident unfolded in Thailand when a 22-year-old tourist was fatally injured by an elephant during a vacation. The victim, Blanca Ojanguren García, was participating in an elephant bathing activity at Koh Yao Elephant Care on Yao Yai Island when the incident occurred. The elephant, a 50-year-old female, reportedly struck García with its trunk, causing severe injuries.
García, a law and international relations student at the University of Navarra in Spain, was immediately rushed to a local hospital. Despite the best efforts of the medical team, she succumbed to her injuries. García was vacationing with her boyfriend, who was among eight tourists present at the sanctuary during the incident. The other tourists and approximately ten sanctuary workers were unharmed.
Initial reports suggested that the elephant had gored García with one of its tusks. However, subsequent reports from Spanish news outlet EFE contradicted this, stating that the fatal blow was delivered by the elephant’s trunk.
In the aftermath of the incident, the sanctuary, which is home to three elephants, has temporarily closed its doors. The owner has not yet announced a date for reopening. García, who came from a military family, had recently completed her professional internships at Spain’s navy headquarters in Madrid. Her remains have been transported to another hospital on the island of Phuket for preparation before being returned to Spain.
Elephant interactions are a common tourist attraction in Thailand. This incident marks the first fatal elephant attack of 2025. Over the past 12 years, there have been approximately 240 fatal incidents involving elephants, including 39 in the previous year alone. Just last month, a 49-year-old woman was fatally attacked by a wild elephant at Phu Kradueng National Park.
According to World Animal Protection, about 2,800 Asian elephants, an endangered species, are held in captivity at various tourism facilities across Thailand. The country is home to 15% of the estimated 52,000 elephants still living in the wild.