Blanca Ojanguren García, 22, died after being hit by an elephant's trunk at a sanctuary in Thailand.
Thai police have filed a negligence complaint against the handler of the elephant that killed a Spanish tourist last week on Yao Yau island in the southwest of the country.
The tourist, it is worth remembering, was identified as Blanca Ojanguren García, a 22-year-old student, who was on the Asian continent due to a scholarship from the Erasmus program. According to initial information, the young woman was bathing the elephant and was hit by a tusk when she passed in front of it. However, local police believe the animal pushed the young woman with its trunk, causing her death.
Thai authorities confirmed to Spanish news agency Efe that Phang Nga police had filed a complaint for negligence against the elephant's handler.
According to the Koh Yao Elephant Care center, the 50-year-old female elephant is used to living with tourists, and the reason for the attack is unknown. The center is closed and there is no date for a possible reopening.
Washing elephants or bathing with them is a popular activity at some Thai recreation centers, where the pachyderms also perform in shows for tourists.
Most elephant incidents tend to occur with animals in the wild, which sometimes cross into areas inhabited by people due to loss of natural habitat.
