Elk Smashes into Swedish Classroom, Sends Pupils Fleeing

An elk smashed through the window of a Swedish classroom on Monday, sending pupils fleeing in terror.

Swedish police said the animal panicked after breaking through the glass window and finding itself in the schoolroom, and tried to gore its way out.

"The police arrived at the scene and were able to take the students to safety," police said in a statement.

The elk was seriously injured when it broke through the glass and had to be put down, they added.

Known as the "the king of the Swedish forest", elks -- called moose in North America -- are large, hulking beasts with massive shoulders and rounded antlers.

They can weigh up to 500 kilos (1,000 pounds), and are a common cause of traffic accidents in Sweden.

Elks have caused 1,724 accidents in Sweden this year alone, according to the National Wildlife Accident Council.

The Swedish Hunters Association says the country has between 300,000 and 400,000 elks in the summer, although their numbers decrease during the winter hunting season.

None of the pupils was injured, although the head of the school, in the suburbs of the western city of Gothenburg, said they had been offered counselling.