The impact caused colossal damage to the front of the vehicle and resulted in the driver being rushed to hospital
HORRIFYING footage shows a huge elephant crushed to death by a double-decker bus, which was carrying 25 people, after a tragic smash on a motorway.
The coach had been travelling from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand when it ploughed into the eight-year-old bull which had strayed onto the road.
Mobile phone footage captured the moment the dazed elephant was struck by the bus - which was travelling at around 60mph and skidded for some 30 metres with the elephant under the front wheels.
Heartbreaking pictures show the male elephant crushed to death with the entire front windscreen of the coach shattered from the impact.
The elephant died instantly and rescuers had to remove a FOOT from the dashboard while they treated critically injured driver Narit Chittong, 45, who was trapped in the wreckage.
Passenger Panong Pattaraporn, 36, said: ''We were travelling along as normal and suddenly there was sudden breaking and an enormous impact.
''The bus skidded for about five seconds and then stopped. It travelled about 30 or 40 metres with the elephant still under the front.
''We left the bus and the sight was horrible. The poor elephant.
''It might have been startled by something and ran onto the road.
“I don't think the driver had time to stop and elephants are hard to see in the dark because of their grey colour.''
Rescuers said the Asian elephant had been living in a jungle enclosure near the road before it darted out unexpectedly at 10.15pm local time on Friday evening.
It is believed to be from the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, which was preparing to return the creature to the forest.
It had been transferred a few days before to a sanctuary as part of the steps to reintroduce it back into the wild.
But it broke free from its enclosure in the night and wandered onto the road.
The driver suffered severe injuries from the collision and had to be cut free after the force of the impact crushed the front of the coach against him.
He is currently being treated in hospital.
Police Colonel Virot Saengiem said: ''We found that the elephant had escaped from its shelter and had been walking on the road before the crash
''It was dark and the driver could not see the elephant.
''The elephant had already escaped once this year on September 8.''
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