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Law student killed by elephant during vacation to Thailand: officials

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Law student killed by elephant during vacation to Thailand: officials

A young woman was killed by an Asian elephant at a sanctuary in Thailand on Friday during a bathing session gone wrong, according to officials.

Spanish citizen Blanca Ojanguren, 22, was visiting Koh Yao Elephant Care on Yao Yai Island with her boyfriend at the time of the incident, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported over the weekend. She studied law at the University of Navarra at the time.

Koh Yao Elephant Care told the Spanish outlet that a 50-year-old elephant pushed Ojanguren with its trunk while she bathed it, causing a fatal blow. Around 18 people were at the sanctuary at the time, including the victim’s boyfriend.

The tourist was rushed to a local hospital where she later died, the sanctuary owner said. The business temporarily closed as a result.

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Blanca Ojanguren, 22, was visiting Koh Yao Elephant Care on Yao Yai Island at the time of her death. (Equestrian Federation of Castilla y León via Facebook)

Experts told Argentine newspaper Clarin that the elephant was likely stressed from interacting with tourists outside its natural habitat, but officials have not released details about what led up to the attack. 

Koh Yao Elephant Care offers tourist packages ranging from $50 to $85 USD, according to its booking website. The company offered two-hour sessions with elephants that included activities ranging from cooking classes to kayak sessions. 

“Visitors often have the opportunity to join guided tours led by knowledgeable staff who educate guests about elephant behavior, biology, and the sanctuary’s mission,” the website reads. “This experience allows for a close encounter with these magnificent animals while respecting their well-being.”

Elephants, which are profoundly gentle and intelligent animals, are known to occasionally kill humans when under physical and psychological distress. In 2022, an Asian elephant ripped its trainer in half with its tusk in Thailand’s Phang Nga province.

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Officials later discovered that the elephant’s handler had it haul wood to a rubber plantation in hot weather, causing the animal to become overwhelmed.

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Elephants Boon Thong, Ronaaldo and his mother, Lersu, stand on a hillside near Mae Sapok Village on July 21, 2020, in Chiang Mai, Thailand. (Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)

At the time, Save the Asian Elephants CEO Duncan McNair told Newsweek that elephants are sensitive to abuse and can become stressed by human behavior.

“[It] is yet another stark reminder that Asian elephants are, and always remain, wild animals that can attack and kill when they are abused or overly stressed by humans,” McNair said.

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At zoos in the United States, visitors and most staff members are usually prohibited from touching elephants. But elephant sanctuaries in Thailand lure tourists with promises of up-close interactions with the animals.

According to the Global Federal of Animal Sanctuaries, the quality of animal sanctuaries, including elephant sanctuaries, varies widely.

“It is a poorly regulated industry, in which facilities that keep animals in deplorable conditions can identify themselves as compared to those of the highest quality,” the site reads. “For anyone invested in the welfare of captive animals, there is a need to differentiate the best sanctuaries and rescues to determine where funds would be best invested, where the need for help is greatest, who provides a model to follow and who can be turned to in times of crisis.”

Asian elephants are gentle animals but are still capable of killing humans in certain situations. (iStock)

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Koh Yao Elephant Care did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital reached out to wildlife experts for more information.

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Family demands answers in death of young Black man in Mississippi

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Family demands answers in death of young Black man in Mississippi
A mother on Friday pleaded for anyone to come forward with information about what happened to her son, a young Black man whose body was found on an island off the coast ​of Mississippi after he traveled there over the Fourth of July weekend with three white friends.
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Gunfire shatters Toronto Latin street festival, leaving at least 2 dead and multiple wounded

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Gunfire shatters Toronto Latin street festival, leaving at least 2 dead and multiple wounded

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The Toronto Police Service is investigating after gunfire broke out Saturday night at a large Latin street festival in Midtown Toronto, leaving at least two people dead and four others wounded.

Police said they received reports of a shooting at St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue at 8:12 p.m. local time and discovered an active shooter situation.

First responders found six people suffering from gunshot wounds, officials said. Two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police respond to an active shooter at the Salsa on St. Clair event in Toronto, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP)

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It is unclear what led to the shooting, and authorities said suspect(s) are still “outstanding.” No arrests have been made as of Saturday evening, police said. 

Toronto Police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said during a news conference there seemed to be an “exchange of gunfire” between two individuals targeting each other.

“This is a very chaotic scene,” he said. “I think we had something in the neighborhood of 13,000 people participating in this festival.”

Police initially described the incident as an active shooter situation before later determining that was not the case.

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Police officers stand guard at the site of a deadly shooting at a salsa-themed street festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 11, 2026. (REUTERS/Cole Burston)

“There was some concern of an active shooter. That turned out not to be the case,” Barredo said.

Barredo said authorities were managing three separate crime scenes connected to the shooting. Two firearms have been recovered, he added.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “horrified” by the shooting.

“My prayers are with the families grieving their loved ones, those who are in critical condition, and everyone who has been affected by this horrific event,” he said in a statement.

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“My thanks to the police officers and other first responders whose courage and fast action prevented further tragedy,” he continued. “Police have my full support as they work to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Paramedics respond to an active shooter at the Salsa on St. Clair event in Toronto, Saturday.  (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP)

FOUR DEAD AND 29 SHOT IN CHICAGO WEEKEND VIOLENCE AS LEADERS TOUT CRIME PROGRESS

Following the shooting, the Toronto Transit Commission suspended train stops at the nearby St. Clair West station on Line 1 Yonge-University due to what officials described as a “security incident.”

Regular transit service has since resumed.

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Authorities urged the public to avoid the area and follow all directives from police at the scene.

The TD Salsa on St. Clair Festival, Toronto’s biggest Latin culture celebration, was celebrating its 22nd annual event in Toronto’s Hillcrest Village.

Emergency Task Force vehicles and police officers are seen on the site of a shooting in Toronto on Saturday. (Jorge UZON / AFP via Getty Images)

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The Toronto Police Service told Fox News Digital no further information is available.

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This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, architect of modern Qatar

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Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, architect of modern Qatar

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former emir of Qatar who transformed the small Gulf state into one of the world’s wealthiest and most influential nations through its vast natural gas wealth and an ambitious programme of political, economic and social reforms, has died. He was 74.

A charismatic figure with a friendly demeanor, the father Emir assumed the reins of power in 1995. Regarded as the architect of modern Qatar, he embarked on forging development and reform plans and education programs.

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During his reign, Qatar’s GDP increased more than twenty-fourfold, while production from the North Field turned the country into the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas by 2006. After four years, the small nation’s LNG production capacity reached 77 million tons per annum, according to government’s figure.

His tenure also saw the establishment of the Qatar Foundation, the launch of Al Jazeera News Channel in 1996, the promulgation of Qatar’s first permanent constitution in 2004 and the introduction of municipal elections in which women were granted the right to vote and stand as candidates. Under his leadership, the Gulf nation also adopted the Qatar National Vision 2030 and secured the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

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Born in Doha in January 1952, Sheikh Hamad graduated from the British Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst before becoming commander of Qatar’s armed forces. He became heir apparent and defence minister in 1977, assumed power as emir on June 27, 1995, and handed over leadership to his son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on June 25, 2013.

“The future lies ahead of you, the children of this homeland, as you usher into a new era where young leadership hoists the banner,” Sheikh Hamad said as he announced his abdication and the carefully crafted transition to his son, the British-educated crown prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was then 33.

The peaceful, voluntary transfer of power was rare in a region where such change usually results from death or overthrow.

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