Elephant kills Vietnamese tour guide

An elephant carrying two tourists on its back trampled their Vietnamese tour guide to death while he was trying to take their photograph.

The incident occurred in the Central Highlands village of Jun, an area popular with tourists who go to ride on several tamed elephants kept by villagers.

Something upset the elephant, which kicked Nguyen Cao Tri to the ground, then trampled on him once, said H’mok Lhuat, a police officer in Daklak province.

Tri, 21, died later that day at Daklak hospital, Lhuat said.

Lhuat did not know the names or nationality of the tourists who were being guided by Tri.

Each year, thousands of tourists go to Jun to ride the elephants, feed them and pose for pictures.

This was the first time one of the elephants ever attacked anyone.

“Tamed elephants are usually very friendly to people,” Lhuat said.

Daklak is 280 miles north-east of Ho Chi Minh City.