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Elephants celebrating Songkran festival in Ayuttaya

Local people of ancient city Ayutthaya Province and foreign tourists kicked off a water-splashing Songkran festival with elephants on Wednesday, against the backdrop of the ancient ruins.

The elephants, painted with colorful flowers from trunk to toe, showed no mercy to children and adults alike as they slurped up water and sprayed them in the scorching heat.

Tourists and volunteers gathered around, some armed with water buckets and others with cameras to capture the moment.