The 36-year-old man, who has been named as Gareth Crowe from Scotland, is reported to have been taking part in an elephant trek with his teenage daughter on the holiday island of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand.

Crowe is reported to have been thrown to the ground by the elephant, which then trampled and attacked him with its tusk.

The Foreign Office said it was aware of the incident and was offering assistance to the victim’s family.

“We are offering support to the family of a British national who has sadly died following an incident in Koh Samui, Thailand, and are making contact with the local authorities to seek further information,” said the FCO in a statement.

Crowe’s 16-year-old daughter was also injured in the elephant attack and is reported to have been treated in hospital in Thailand.

Local reports suggest that the elephant’s handler had been having trouble controlling the elephant during the trek. Crowe and his daughter were thrown off the elephant’s back after the handler had dismounted to take some pictures of the tourists.

There have been around a dozen similar incidents involving elephants over the last 15 years, according to the BBC.