Elephant crushes driver to death after being hit by speeding car in Thailand

Animal stomps on vehicle after being hit on hind legs

Up to two people a year are killed by the mammals in areas surrounding the park (Getty Images)

A man has been killed by an elephant after his speeding car hit the animal near a national park in Thailand, police have said.

When the vehicle struck the elephant’s hind legs, it responded by stomping on the car, destroying the engine and killing the driver, said lieutenant colonel Kemchat Paedkaew.

The accident happened on Wednesday on a small road with signs telling drivers to be aware of wild animals that sometimes stray from Khao Yai National Park in the northeastern part of the country.

Mr Paedkaew said the driver was not local and failed to slow down when he encountered the elephant.

“Elephants don’t come out during the day but they start coming out when it gets dark,” he said, adding that up to two people a year are killed by elephants in areas surrounding the park.

The elephant was guided back to the park and is being looked after by officials.

It comes weeks after a German woman was trampled to death by an elephant as she tried to take a photograph of the animal in Zimbabwe.

In 2015, visitors to Khao Yai were warned to be careful, after attacks by elephants had previously damaged cars, a shop and a restaurant.