CHIANG MAI, Thailand >> Apple stuck her trunk out of the swollen river like a snorkel, paddling desperately to stay afloat. But the 2 ton, 15-year-old elephant was no match for the flooding that inundated Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second-largest city, last week. By the time a team of rescuers saw her, she had been swept more than a mile downriver.

Apple was a resident of the Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary that is a hot spot for tourists. Flash floods quickly submerged the park. Mahouts, or elephant handlers, from other camps gathered and rushed to the scene by boats. They were able to rescue Apple, but two elephants from the sanctuary died.

Monsoon rains often cause havoc in Thailand but the flooding has been particularly intense this year, driven by climate change and the La Niña weather pattern. The overflowing Ping River overwhelmed Chiang Mai and caused the deaths of two people, authorities said.

— The New York Times