An elephant has stomped three rubber plantation workers to death in southern Thailand, police have said.
The female beast first crushed a 44-year-old male worker who was working in a farm on Wednesday morning, police Lieutenant Sonjit Ma-ou told reporters.
He said: "It then freely wandered into another plantation a few kilometres away and attacked a woman (aged 38).
"Her husband saw it charging toward her, grabbing her body with its trunk and hurling her on the ground before stomping on her body."
Somjit said another victim, a 51-year-old woman, was found dead in a nearby plantation later in the morning.
"There was no witness in the last case, but we found footprints of the beast and from the manner in which she was killed, we believe it was an attack by the same elephant," he said.
The attacks happened in Trang province, where the animal worked pulling rubberwood.
The 38-year-old elephant called Natalie was eventually recaptured by her handler.
"All three victims died instantly after she stamped on their chests and stomachs, breaking their ribs," Sonjit went on.
The authorities were investigating whether the handler was negligent in letting the animal wander free.
It was unclear what might have prompted the rampage, but Sonjit said the elephant had previously attacked and wounded at least three other people in the area.
Working elephants in Thailand are typically used for tasks like logging, but a growing number are used as tourist attractions on the streets of Bangkok and at camps around the country.
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