Man, 84, trampled to death by escaped circus elephant in France

LIZY-SUR-OUREQ, France, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- A man, 84, was trampled to death by an two-ton escaped circus elephant in Lizy-sur-Oureq, France, officials said.

The elephant, named Tanya, escaped from an electrified pen and trampled the unidentified man Sunday afternoon as he was playing petanque, an outdoor game similar to bocce or horseshoes, the British newspaper The Daily Mirror reported Monday.

The elephant was part of a traveling circus which had been in Lizy-sur-Oureq, near Paris, for several days, the French newspaper Le Parisien said.

The man was airlifted to the Bicetre Hospital but died Sunday night.