A Linwood teenager who was injured in an elephant attack which left her stepfather dead has said she is "on the road to recovery".

Eilidh Hughes and Gareth Crowe were on an elephant trek in Koh Samui on Monday when the animal threw them off, trampled Mr Crowe and gored him with a tusk, reports the Evening Times.

Miss Hughes, who managed to escape with minor injuries, is being treated in hospital on the island. Her mother Catherine Hughes and brother Mark were also on the holiday but did not go on the trek, which was organised by Island Safari Tour Co.

Responding to friends and family on Facebook, the 16-year-old wrote: "I'm on the road to recovery so should be home soon."

One friend wrote: "Can't believe you go on a holiday of a lifetime and such a horrid thing happens. You need to be strong for your mum."

Miss Hughes replied: "I'm trying but it's so hard."

She said her mum and brother are "both very upset", adding that Mr Crowe "just didn't deserve this at all".

Miss Hughes and Mr Crowe were trekking in a forested area of Tambon Bor Phud on Monday afternoon.

According to reports, the elephant's guide climbed down from the animal to take photos of them and was gored in the torso with a tusk.

The elephant then threw Miss Hughes and Mr Crowe off and attacked them.

Friends and family of Mr Crowe have been paying tribute to him on social media following the incident.

On a page which appeared to belong to his sister Pamela Crowe, one friend wrote: "I'm so sorry for you and your family. Gareth really was a top guy, he will be sadly missed."

Another posted: "Unbelievable news. A lovely lad. Fond memories of our time at grammar school."

Others described Mr Crowe as a "great guy" and described his death as "an absolute heartbreaker".

The family are believed to have originally been from Islay but moved to the Scottish mainland two years ago.

Reports suggest that witnesses claimed the elephant was upset shortly before the attack because Mr Crowe had been teasing it with a banana, offering it to the animal before taking it back.

However, Eilidh refuted the claims, writing on the Samui Times website: "He was not teasing the elephant as I was his 16 year old daughter who is lying in hospital and I was on it.

"I know everything that happened. This is a serious situation !!!"

The governor of the province where the incident took place has said a worker at Island Safari told him the elephant had shown signs of being on musth (heat) just days before Mr Crowe was killed.