Elephants On The Loose After Circus Lorry Overturns On Spanish Motorway

A truck carrying five elephants overturned on a highway in Spain on Monday, where at least one elephant died, two were left injured and the others ended up loose on the Spanish motorway.

The crash took place on highway A-30 and police had to close the highway located near Pozo Canada near Albacete, 180 miles south east of Madrid.

The circus truck rolled past a barrier and fell into a ditch after the incident.

Motorists traveling on the highway filmed and took photos of the animals strolling towards waste ground and feeding by the side of the road. Photos posted by the authorities showed three of the five elephants strolling around the lanes of the highway after the accident.

The dead elephant had to be removed from a ditch by the side of the motorway where its body had ended up following the drama around noon on Monday.

Other pictures from the scene showed the animals feeding on grass by the crash barriers before being led to a safer area by the law enforcement officials.

The director of the General Directorate of Traffic, an autonomous body under the Ministry of the Interior of Spain that is responsible for roads, determined the official count of those injured and killed in the crash, Fox News reported.

Police revealed in a social media post about the incident: "The A30 has been closed because a lorry has overturned. Elephants are loose on the tarmac. The motorway has been closed around the Pozo Canada area heading towards Murcia."

The accident is believed to have happened after the truck carrying the elephants tried to overtake another vehicle and the driver lost control. The head of the government’s traffic department, Gregorio Serrano, said the driver of the truck involved in the crash was not injured. He added that preliminary investigation determined the cause of the accident to be the truck trying to pass another vehicle in its right lane.

It was not made immediately clear how serious the injuries of the two elephants were.

"The elephants injured in the accident that has happened in Albacete are being assisted and removed. Of the five animals one has died and two have been injured. Shortly the A30 will be reopened," Serrano said.

Silvia Barquero, the president of a Spanish animal welfare political party called PACMA, said the elephants belonged to a circus company called Gottani Circus, which performed several shows in the area over Easter.

"The lorry that has overturned was carrying Circo Gottani elephants. Show them more kindness. We treat animals like slaves. Enough of circuses that use animals," She said.

There was no immediate response from the circus owners following the incident.

A routine probe into the incident will take place after Civil Guard officers send a report on the accident to a local investigating judge, who will be responsible for the investigation.