A four-year-old boy was killed when a stray elephant rammed into a motorcycle in a rubber plantation in northern Malaysia, a police official said today.

The boy’s mother also suffered a fractured leg in the incident yesterday in the state of Kelantan, about 280 kilometres north of Kuala Lumpur, he said.

“The family was on the way to tap rubber when a rampaging elephant came out of nowhere and rammed them,” the official said on condition of anonymity because he is not an authorised spokesperson.

“All three were thrown off the motorcycle. The boy suffered severe injuries causing his death.”

He said the father, who was driving the motorcycle, was unhurt.

The officer said a team of park rangers has been despatched to capture the elephant and bring it back into the forest.

- dpa