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Elephant dies and four recovering from injuries after Spanish highway crash

The elephants were part of a circus.
The elephants were part of a circus. The elephants were part of a circus.

An elephant has died and four others are recovering from injuries after a circus truck tipped over on a major highway, authorities in southern Spain said.

The truck, carrying all five elephants, overturned on Monday on the highway linking Albacete with Murcia after overtaking another long vehicle, Albacete’s Civil Guard spokesman Jose Amado said.

He said the movement of the five female elephants could have destabilised the truck.

The driver was uninjured in the crash, but one of the elephants died on the highway.

The four surviving elephants – three of them with minor cuts, and one with injured legs – are being treated by veterinarians in a public facility and will be moved to a clinic in coming days.

Animal rights groups said the accident was the latest example of how circuses were a danger for wild animals.