Elephants rampage through Seoul

The elephants escaped during a circus performance

South Korea's busy capital Seoul faced an added complication on Wednesday when six elephants escaped from an amusement park, causing chaos.

The elephants broke into a restaurant in the east of the city, and tore through the garden of a private home.

Officials said one elephant was briefly detained at a police station, before all were returned to their park.

"It seems one of them panicked, causing the others to also panic and flee the grounds," one official said.

Police squad cars cordoned off the area and placed officers at key cross-sections to prevent the elephants from escaping to other parts of the city, Yonhap news agency reported.

One of the elephants ran into an alley and hit a 52-year-old woman with its trunk, Yonhap said.

She was reportedly being treated in hospital.

The woman's landlord, who was standing with her when the elephant appeared, said he ran away scared, Yonhap said.

Police said the elephants escaped from the Children's Grand Park during a circus performance.