Tragic: Sedan Collides with Wild Elephant, Bursts into Flames, Destroying Vehicle—One Dead, Two Injured
A sedan collided with a wild elephant crossing Highway 323 near Kanchanaburi on May 19, causing the vehicle to catch fire and kill one passenger, with two others injured.
A sedan struck a wild elephant on Highway 323 near Kanchanaburi's Muang District on the evening of May 19, with the vehicle catching fire and burning almost entirely. Deputy Superintendent Natthapon Thongsikhaew of Lad Yao Police Station reported that at 9 p.m., officers responded to the scene along with medical staff from Phahol Phol Yuhasena Hospital, wildlife officials, and representatives from the Kan Wildlife Foundation.
The heavily damaged Toyota Corolla was found abandoned along the roadside with its engine compartment engulfed in flames that spread throughout the vehicle. Firefighters extinguished the blaze before discovering the body of 70-year-old Chukiat (surname withheld) in the front left seat. Two other occupants were injured: the driver, 64-year-old Charn (surname withheld), and 74-year-old Suphanutt (surname withheld), who was sitting in the back.
Authorities determined that the driver was traveling on Highway 323 from Thai Yoak toward Muang Kanchanaburi when, in the darkness, a wild elephant from the Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary crossed the Khwae Yai River and onto the highway, causing the collision. The extent of injuries sustained by the elephant remain unknown. This incident represents the first recorded vehicle-elephant collision on Highway 323 in history; similar accidents typically occur on Highway 3199 between Kanchanaburi and Si Sawat.
