Woman killed by elephant at kathin ceremony

A woman was killed and two other people seriously injured by an agitated young elephant during a merit ceremony in the northeastern province of Bueng Khan.
Witnesses said the elephant, an immature bull, had been teased before running amuck.
The fatal attack occurred on Sunday during a kathin ceremony at the rear of a temple in Pak Khat district of Bueng Kan province. Three people were injured, two women and a man. They were rushed to Pak Khat hospital, where a 47-year-old woman, identified only as Priyawan, was pronounced dead.
According to police, the two women were sitting in a howdah on the elephant’s back. The jumbo became agitated, running wildly around. The two women fell to the ground, where Priyawan was then attacked by the angry elephant. She suffered multiple injuries, the rescuers said.
A man standing nearby was also injured, the elephant’s swinging trunk sending him crashing into a parked motorbike.
The elephant was eventually brought under control by the mahouts, and was led back into the kraal. 
A witness, who did not give his name, said it was a hot day and there were 7-8,000 thousand people at the event, and about 10 elephants. Some people who had been drinking had been teasing the elephants while feeding them sugar cane. 
The elephant that attacked its passengers was young and sensitive. It became upset by the large crowd, the heat and the teasing, the witness said.