Witnesses: Elephant was stuck by keeper before fatal attack

A Shanghai couple who watched in horror as a rampaging elephant killed a Chinese tour guide during their vacation in Thailand have spoken of the tragedy for the first time.

Thai police are still looking into the circumstances surrounding the death of He Yongjie, 35, from Chongqing, who was trampled to death on Thursday in the tourist city of Pattaya.

However, the couple, who had been riding the elephant at the time, confirmed to Chinese media on Monday that they saw the mahout - the animal's keeper - strike the animal several times in the run-up to the attack.