A 22-year-old Spanish tourist has died after being attacked by an elephant she was bathing in Thailand. 

Student Blanca Ojanguren Garcia had been visiting the island of Yao Yai in southwestern Thailand with her boyfriend when the attack took place, according to local media reports.

The couple had been bathing one of the elephants when Ms Garcia passed in front of it and it gored her with its tusk, a worker at the Koh Yao Elephant Care centre told EFE.

She died later of her injuries.

Ms Garcia’s former school, Pinoalbar Development School, said it was “shocked” by her death.

“Always in our hearts, dear Blanca,” it said in a post on social media.

Experts told local media the elephant was likely stressed by the pressure of living and interacting with tourists.

Washing elephants is a popular activity at some of Thailand’s elephant centres, and some of the animals also perform for visitors.

The Koh Yao Elephant Care centre says online it is committed to “providing responsible and ethical interactions with elephants” and does not “control” or “use a hook on our elephants”.

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Most incidents occur with wild elephants, which are sometimes pushed into areas inhabited by humans because of the loss of their natural habitat.

Some 240 deaths from wild elephant attacks have been reported in Thailand in the past 12 years, according to data from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

A total of 39 deaths were reported in 2024 alone.

An estimated 4,000 wild elephants live in Thailand’s sanctuaries, national parks and nature reserves.