Two rescued elephants died by drowning at a tourist hotspot in Thailand despite efforts to get the stranded animals out after it was flooded by rapid currents. Faa Sai, a blind female elephant, and Ploy Thong, also a female, were confirmed dead following the “catastrophic flooding”, the Elephant National Park in Chiang Mai said.

Flash floods swept through a popular elephant sanctuary in northern Thailand on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of about 100 elephants and trapping dozens of tourists, amid urgent pleas for help. Dramatic video and images from the Elephant Nature Park near the city of Chiang Mai showed dozens of elephants wading through belly-deep water to find safety on higher ground.