A tragic incident unfolded in Prachinburi Province when 79-year-old Noi Songkroh was killed by an elephant while inspecting his vegetable garden. Authorities later discovered his body in a nearby drainage ditch, severely mangled.
According to reports from The Sun, Noi had gone to check on his garden that evening and spotted an elephant attempting to steal bananas. When he approached, possibly shining a flashlight on the elephant, the animal became agitated and violently attacked him. Witnesses said the elephant initially threw him and then stomped on him repeatedly.
Local resident Somkid Koson recounted hearing dogs barking and rushing outside to see the elephant attacking Noi. Somkid and other neighbors managed to scare the elephant back into the national forest park before attempting to recover Noi’s body. Police arrived around 1 a.m. and confirmed that Noi had been fatally trampled.
Village head Suriya noted that the elephant, believed to be a male, had been foraging in the area for 3–4 years. Earlier that evening, local wardens had driven it away from the village, but it returned later that night, leading to the fatal encounter.
Noi’s 53-year-old son, Pichet Songkroh, called on authorities to find solutions to human-elephant conflicts to prevent further tragedies.
