Elephant rescued children in tsunami

The elephant had been brought to the beach in the resort of Phuket to entertain the children. The youngsters were put on the back of the animal by its keeper, enabling them to escape unscathed.

The elephant had been brought to the beach in the resort of Phuket to entertain the children, Laura Barnett, 40, told Britain's Press Association news agency.

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The youngsters were put on the back of the animal by its keeper, enabling them to escape unscathed as the killer waves approached, she said.

Barnett, of north London, said she was staying in the Sheraton Grande Laguna hotel when the tsunami struck. She said she and her family escaped "reasonably lightly," but that the resort's beach was destroyed.