A truck carrying five elephants crashed on a highway in Spain on Monday, killing at least one of the majestic animals and leaving two injured.

The crash unfolded on highway A-30 near the town Pozo Cañada, located about 180 miles southeast of Madrid, police in Albacete tweeted.

The circus truck rolled past a barrier and into a ditch, Sky News added.

Photos posted by the law enforcement agency show three of the five elephants milling around in the lanes of the highway after the accident.

The director of the General Directorate of Traffic, an autonomous body under the Ministry of the Interior of Spain that's responsible for roads, tweeted the official count of those injured and killed.

Gregorio Serrano posted a video of authorities lifting one elephant into another truck after the crash.

The driver of the truck involved in the crash was not injured, officials told Europa Press.

Serrano said on Twitter that according to preliminary investigations, the accident happened after trying to pass another vehicle in the right lane.

Other photos and videos posted on social media show the elephants wandering around on the road with minor injuries.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) responded: "Animals in circuses are caged and chained for the majority of their lives and forced to perform tricks under threat of punishment, which is why PETA asserts that the only way to ensure their safety is to end their use in circuses altogether. PETA is also calling for an examination by police of the driver's record and public disclosure of veterinary care for the surviving elephants."

Fox News' Mike Arroyo contributed to this report.

Click for more from Sky News.</s>Spanish police released this photo of elephants milling around on a Spanish highway after a circus truck crashed.

Spanish police released this photo of elephants milling around on a Spanish highway after a circus truck crashed.

ONE elephant died and two others were injured after a crash on a highway in Spain.

Media reports say the truck, believed to be a circus truck carrying five of the animals, was overtaking another vehicle when it suddenly "rolled over" in the town of Pozo Cañada near Albacete in the Murcia region.

The injured animals had to be lifted away in a crane.

Gregorio Serrano, the director of the government department responsible for Spain's road transport, posted about the incident on social media.

Spanish police also released photos showing the elephants on the lanes of the motorway after the crash.

The driver of the truck was believed to be uninjured and the Pozo Cañada council posted a video of the surviving elephants, stating they were being looked after by local authorities.</s>An elephant has died and four others are recovering from injuries after a circus truck tipped over on a major road in Spain.

The incident provoked an outcry among animal rights activists.

The truck overturned on Monday on the road linking Albacete with Murcia after overtaking another long vehicle, said Albacete's Civil Guard spokesman Jose Amado.

An elephant is lifted up by a crane after a circus truck carrying elephants turned over a long a major motorway in the South Eastern region of Albacete, Spain. (El Digital de Albacete/MarÂa Guerrero via AP)

He said the movement of the five female elephants could have destabilised the truck.

The driver was not injured, the spokesman said, but one of the elephants died at the scene.

The four surviving elephants - three of them with minor cuts and one with injured legs - are being treated by vets at a public facility before being moved to a clinic in the coming days.

"With five unpredictable animals, each one of them weighing three to four tons, accidents can happen no matter how much care has been taken," Mr Amado said.

Photos and videos shared by local police and authorities showed the elephants standing on the road and being lifted onto trucks by huge industrial cranes.

A man checks on an elephant after a circus truck carrying elephants turned over a long a major motorway in the South Eastern region of Albacete, Spain. (El Digital de Albacete/MarÂa Guerrero via AP)

A section of the road near Pozo Canada, south of Albacete, remained closed for nearly three hours until the dead elephant was also removed, local authorities said.

Animal rights groups said the accident is the latest example of how the nature of the circus business is a danger to the physical and behavioural needs of wild animals.

"These incredible animals are being carted around the country, confined and forced to perform," said Animal Defenders International president Jan Creamer in a statement, adding that animals are often "confined in small spaces, deprived of physical and social needs, spending excessive amounts of time shut in transporters".

An elephant stands injured in a ditch after a circus truck carrying elephants turned over a long a major motorway in the South Eastern region of Albacete, Spain. (El Digital de Albacete/MarÂa Guerrero via AP)

The Association of United Circuses said the overturned truck had been cleared by authorities for the transportation of animals and the journey had been approved by vets.

"Animal rights activists have turned this accident into a scandal," said the association's spokesman, Ignacio Pedrera.

"They have used it to make politics and attack this industry when road accidents, whether involving animals or not, happen all the time."

An elephant is lifted up by a crane after a circus truck carrying elephants turned over a long a major motorway in the South Eastern region of Albacete, Spain. (El Digital de Albacete/MarÂa Guerrero via AP)

Mr Pedrera said 13 out of the 22 active circuses touring Spain use animals in performances.

The industry employs more than 2,500 families, he added.</s>One elephant died and two others were injured when a circus truck carrying five of the animals crashed in southeastern Spain, official sources confirmed.

Video footage showed emergency services using a crane to winch one of the animals from the road in Pozo Canada, in the province of Albacete, as others wandered loose.

Civil Guard police tweeted a photo of a uniformed official standing in front of two of the roving animals, and wrote:

“Our Albacete traffic comrades today, attending to some elephants who were victims of an accident in Pozo Canada (unfortunately one of the pachyderms died).”

The head of the government’s traffic department, Gregorio Serrano, said on Twitter that early indications suggested the truck had overturned as it tried to overtake another vehicle.</s>An elephant died and several others ended up loose on a Spanish motorway after the circus lorry they were in overturned today.

Police had to close the A30 in Pozo Canada near Albacete south east of Madrid after the extraordinary crash.

Motorists filmed the animals strolling towards waste ground and feeding by the side of the road.

The dead animal was removed from a ditch by the side of the motorway where its body ended up following the drama around 4pm.

Police released pictures of the elephants appearing to feed on grass by crash barriers before being led to a safer area.

They revealed, in a tweet which they probably never thought they would have to write and is unlikely to be repeated: 'The A30 has been closed because a lorry has overturned. Elephants are loose on the tarmac.

'The motorway has been closed around the Pozo Canada area heading towards Murcia.'

Spain's Road Safety Authority the DGT confirmed one of the elephants had died in the incident.

Four other animals, who like the lorry driver escaped with their lives, were travelling in the vehicle.

Two of the four-legged survivors are said to have suffered injuries although it was not immediately clear how serious they were.

DGT spokesman Gregorio Serrano said: 'The elephants injured in the accident that has happened in Albacete are being assisted and removed.

'Of the five animals one has died and two have been injured.

'Shortly the A30 will be reopened.'

One stunned motorist, who filmed the animals wandering around on the tarmac seconds after the accident, said in a running commentary over his home-made video: 'Accident on the A30 motorway near Albacete.

'A circus lorry has overturned. Four elephants are loose and one looks in a very bad way. I'm not sure if it's dead or not.'

Silvia Barquero, the president of Spanish animal welfare political party PACMA, said the animals belonged to the Gottani Circus, which has performed several shows in the area over Easter.

She tweeted: 'The lorry that has overturned was carrying Circo Gottani elephants. Show them more kindness.

'We treat animals like slaves. Enough of circuses that use animals.'

There was no immediate response from the circus owners.

The accident is believed to have happened after the HGV they were in overtook another vehicle and the driver lost control as he headed back into the slow lane.

Civil Guard officers will now send a report on the accident to a local investigating judge who will be tasked with a routine probe into the incident</s>A circus elephant has died and at least two others have been injured in a road crash in Spain.

The truck, transporting the animals, overturned on a motorway in the South Eastern region of Albacete.

Handlers led two of the elephants to safety while one was lifted out using a crane.

The cause of the accident, which closed the motorway for two and a half hours, is still unknown.

According to local media reports, Spain's Association of United Circuses say the truck was authorised to carry the animals.</s>Three elephants wander around a motorway after a circus truck overturned. El Digital de Albacete/YouTube
• One elephant died and two others were injured.
• WARNING: Some images shown below are graphic in nature.

An elephant has died after a circus truck overturned on a motorway in southeastern Spain.

The truck, which was carrying five elephants, flipped over on the A30 motorway near the town of Pozo Cañada on Monday afternoon.

One elephant died and two others were injured, police said.

It's not clear where or when the elephant died, and photos on social media showed the two injured animals wandering the motorway with cuts and blood on their heads and bodies.

The truck overturned while switching lanes, Spanish General Traffic Director Gregorio Serrano tweeted, citing preliminary investigations. The driver of the truck was not injured, the BBC reported.

Photos showed the truck rolled over the road and partially fell into a ditch, bringing some of the elephants with it.

The motorway remained blocked for at least an hour, after which police and firefighters evacuated the four surviving elephants via crane — as can be seen in the video below.

They were later taken to a compound in Pozo Cañada to be taken care of.</s>There was continued outrage among animal rights organizations in Spain on Tuesday after a circus truck carrying five elephants overturned on a highway in the southeast part of the country, killing one animal and injuring two.

The accident took place Monday afternoon near the city of Albacete, about 164 miles south of Madrid. Images of the placid animals standing bloodied and bruised by the side of the road sparked widespread anger.

"The elephant victims of the brutal accident yesterday spent the night outside. We are working against the clock to make sure the elephants don't return to Circo Gottani," said Spain's Animal Rights Party (PACMA) on Tuesday, making reference to the Gottani Circus to which the animals allegedly belong.

The tragic events were met with widespread condemnation by other animal rights groups such as PETA.

Spain is one of the last European nations where wild animals are not prohibited from circus use, although many local bans are in effect.</s>MADRID (AP) - Authorities in southern Spain say an elephant has died and four others are recovering from injuries after a circus truck tipped over on a major highway, provoking an outcry among animal rights defenders.

The truck overturned on Monday on the highway linking Albacete with Murcia after overtaking another long vehicle, said Albacete's Civil Guard spokesman Jose Amado.

He said the movement of the five female elephants could have destabilized the truck.

In this Monday, April 2, 2018 photo, an elephant is lifted up by a crane after a circus truck carrying elephants turned over a long a major motorway in the South Eastern region of Albacete, Spain. Authorities in southern Spain say an elephant has died and four others are recovering from injuries after a circus truck tipped over on a major highway, provoking an outcry among animal rights defenders. (El Digital de Albacete/María Guerrero via AP)

The driver wasn't injured, the spokesman said, but one of the elephants died on the spot. The four surviving elephants - three of them with minor cuts, and one with injured legs- are being treated by veterinarians in a public facility before being moved to a clinic in coming days.

Animal rights groups say the accident is the latest example of how circuses are a danger for wild animals.</s>MADRID: One elephant died and two others were injured when a circus truck carrying five of the animals crashed in southeastern Spain on Monday (Apr 2), authorities said.

The truck was overtaking a slow vehicle on the highway near Pozo Canada in the central region of Castilla-La Mancha when it suddenly overturned, said a spokeswoman for the DGT, the government department that oversees Spain's road network.



The highway was closed to traffic for around two hours as authorities sent cranes to lift the injured elephants onto other vehicles and move them from the road.



The dead elephant was found in a ditch by the side of the highway, reports said.

A video posted by the head of the traffic department, Gregorio Serrano, showed an elephant being lifted as firefighters stabilised it by holding its big feet, one of which appeared to be wrapped in a bandage.



There were five elephants in the truck and another video showed the two uninjured elephants being led away from the scene.



Civil Guard police tweeted a photo of a uniformed official standing in front of two of the roving animals, and wrote:

"Our Albacete traffic comrades today, attending to some elephants who were victims of an accident in Pozo Canada (unfortunately one of the pachyderms died)."



The driver of the truck was not injured in the crash.
A lorry carrying five circus elephants crashes in Albacete, Spain, killing one elephant.