A student from Spain who was washing an elephant at a tourist attraction in Thailand was killed by the animal when it struck and pushed her with its trunk.

Blanca Ojanguren Garcia, 22, who was studying law at Spain’s University of Navarra, was killed at the Koh Yao Elephant Care center on the Thai island of Koh Yao Yai Friday while she was washing an older female elephant, one of the three giant animals kept there, according to Spanish wire service EFE.

Witnesses said the elephant that Ms. Garcia was washing became startled and pushed her into the edge of a cement pond, causing a head injury, according to The Nation, a Thai English-language news site.

The owner of the center, providing only the name Yan, told EFE that in addition to Ms. Garcia and her boyfriend, six other tourists and 10 workers were on the scene. Ms. Garcia was taken to a hospital and subsequently died. None of the other people present were hurt.

The center has since been closed until further notice, the owner told EFE. Ms. Garcia was in Thailand while on break as an exchange student at a university in Taiwan, according to Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

A worker at the center, Theerayut Inthaphudkij, 38, has been charged with negligence as a result of Ms. Garcia’s death, the Phang Nga Tourism and Sports Office said Monday, according to The Nation.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.