A tragic incident in Thailand claimed the life of 22-year-old Blanca Ojanguren García, a tourist from Spain, who was fatally struck by an elephant while vacationing with her boyfriend.

The incident occurred on Friday at Koh Yao Elephant Care on Yao Yai Island. According to reports from the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, García was bathing a 50-year-old elephant when the animal struck her with its trunk. Local police confirmed she was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to her injuries.

García was a law and international relations student at the University of Navarra in Spain, and her untimely death has shocked her loved ones and the broader community.

García’s boyfriend was one of eight tourists present at the sanctuary during the incident.

According to the owner of Koh Yao Elephant Care, around 10 workers were also on-site. Both the tourists and staff escaped unharmed when the elephant suddenly turned aggressive.

The most recent post on Koh Yao Elephant Care’s Facebook page prior to the reported attack appears to be a New Year’s message. The post featured an image of a family sitting on a bench, watching and recording an elephant.

Early reports suggested that the female elephant had gored García with a tusk, though further details are yet to be confirmed.

The sanctuary, home to three elephants, has closed indefinitely following the incident, according to its owner.

García, who came from a military family, had recently completed a professional internship at Spain’s navy headquarters in Madrid, El País reported.

Her body was transferred to a hospital on the nearby island of Phuket to be prepared for repatriation to Spain.

Interacting with elephants is a widely popular activity among tourists visiting Thailand.

Friday’s tragic incident marks the first fatal elephant attack reported in 2025, according to El País. Over the past 12 years, there have been approximately 240 fatal encounters with elephants, including 39 deaths in 2024 alone.

Thailand is home to around 2,800 captive Asian elephants, an endangered species, held at various tourism facilities, according to World Animal Protection. The country also hosts about 15% of the estimated 52,000 wild elephants remaining globally.