Tourists rescued after elephant kills handler and runs off with them on board

Video: The male bull elephant was eventually captured 1.8 miles away from where it had crushed its handler to death

Tourists rescued after elephant kills handler and runs off with them on board. (AP)

Two Russian tourists were rescued from an elephant which had trampled its handler to death and run off with the pair still on its back while on a trek in southern Thailand, police have confirmed.

Police in Thailand said that after killing its handler on Sunday, the elephant took off with the mother and her 9-year-old daughter near a waterfall in Phang Nga province. The animal was eventually caught 1.8 miles away with the tourists still on its back.

The rescue team had to tranquilise the male bull elephant before rescuing the Russian tourists.

Police Lt. Col. Narong Laksanawimol said on Monday that the elephant's 60-year-old trainer had been crushed and drowned in a creek.

He added that the elephant in question had never attacked anyone whilst working for the tourist company for the past two years.

Additional reporting by the AP. Video courtesy of the AP.