The six-year-old elephant that fell down a hole on his way to work as a tourist attraction was on Friday night pronounced dead.

Juvenile elephant 'Nam Chok' passed away just before midnight local time following more than two hours of desperate CPR attempts from vets and rescue workers.

The animal was also given oxygen but he is believed to have died of a heart attack or suffering an electric shock from exposed cables when he crashed through wood which was covering the hole.

Furious workers at the scene slammed the owner who told officials that the elephant had been transported 279 miles from Surin in the rural north east of Thailand to Samut Prakan near the Thai capital Bangkok.

The beast had been due to work at a restaurant where tourists would pay to feed him snacks but was being lead past a petrol station when he fell into the hole at around 9pm local time.

With all but one of his legs trapped, the animal panicked and the mahout called for help at around 9:30pm local time. Footage shows the elephant being lifted out with a crane before rescue workers performed CPR counting 'one, two, three, four'.

Devastated volunteer paramedic Wipha Wattana said: ''This is so sad. It is a waste of the elephant's life. The owner is stupid for letting him walk on the road. It is very selfish taking an elephant out of its home to a busy city area. So stupid, I am so sad but also angry.''

Journalist Bandit Chalawa (CORR) who is currently at the scene said: ''The elephant died. He was officially pronounced dead at about midnight. Everybody is sad.

''The elephant was still alive when he was lifted from the drain but he was unconscious. I have never seen such a big effort to try to save an animal. People here are devastated. Some people are crying. It's very sad.

''The owner said he was taking the elephant to work at a restaurant where guests could pay to feed him. He fell into the duct and he might have had a heart attack but there are also tubes with wires there so we think he could also have had an electric shock.''

Police who attended the scene said they will now begin an investigation into how the elephant died.

Lieutenant Colonel Karison from Bang Phli district police station said: ''All of the evidence will be carefully reviewed. The elephant will now have an autopsy to find the exact cause of death and we will check CCTV to find out how he fell into the hole.''

This is the moment a stranded juvenile elephant was lifted from a drain - after falling inside while being walked to a restaurant to work as a tourist attraction.

The six-year-old bull named 'Nam Chok' had been brought from Surin province in the northeast of the Thailand to Samut Prakan near the capital Bangkok.

He was intended to work as a tourist attraction in a restaurant where guests would pay to give it small snacks.

But earlier this evening while Nam Chok was walking on the road on a lead with its owner as they headed to its new home, the elephant fell down a small drain that was covered with wood.

He was stuck at the entrance with his head over the ledge and all but one of his legs inside the hole.

The elephant began panicking and the owner was unable to calm his animal.

He called for help earlier this evening and the elephant was found unconscious trapped in the 4ft deep hole at 9:30pm local time outside a petrol station near the country's main airport, Suvarnabhumi.

A crane then lifted it out the elephant and moved it several feet away.

Rescue workers are seen in the video performing CPR counting 'one, two, three, four' as the unconscious beast lies on the pavement as rain poured around it.