Brit tourist brutally killed by charging elephant while on safari trip
A British tourist and her friend have been killed by a charging elephant during a 'sunrise safari walk' in Zambia.
At around 6am local time on Thursday July 3 the victims, a 68-year-old and a 67-year-old, were attacked by a female elephant that was with a calf at South Luangwa National Park, Eastern Province Police Commissioner Robertson Mweemba said.
The two friends had been based at the Big Lagoon Bush Camp and had been enjoying an early morning walk to another part of the camp when the horror incident took place.
Mweemba said: "Two female tourists while taking a safari walk to a crossing point at Luangwa river spotted an elephant with a calf at a distance and diverted about 50m away, but within few minutes after diverting a tea bearer who is usually behind saw the elephant charging at them."
The tea bearer reportedly shouted 'elephants' and as the two women turned around they saw it storming towards them at high speed. In a desperate bid to help the women escape alive the safari guides who were with the group fired shots at the elephant, reports MailOnline.
While the elephant was hit by the gunshots, the guides were unable to prevent the attack and both women died at the scene, police said. The pair 'had spent four peaceful days immersed in nature's embrace. Their journey was meant to continue - but instead, we remember them for their courage, their curiosity, and their love for life's wild places', a local said.
The bodies of the two women have been taken to Mambwe District Hospital for mortuary services, awaiting further details. Their cause of death is yet to be formerly confirmed. According to the South Luangwa National Park website, the region's "concentration of animals is some of the most dense in all of Africa".
The site adds: "You don't have to travel to the most remote areas of the park to see some amazing animal sights. In fact, don't be surprised if a handful of elephants wander in and out of your camp, as they have a habit of making themselves welcome."
This isn't the first time a tourist has been killed by an elephant in Zambia, last year an 80-year-old American woman died and another was injured when an aggressive bull elephant charged at a group on a safari at Kafue National Park in Zambia on Saturday, March 30.
A shocking video taken from one of the people on the truck shows the elephant running along the vehicle as the group was moving. At some point, the vehicle stops, and the elephant can be seen aggressively approaching the truck.
The animal immediately charges at the group lifting the truck with its trunk and turning it over within seconds. A man can be heard yelling "Ey, ey!" apparently trying to scare the animal away until the phone shooting the video seems to fall on the ground and the screen goes black.
The company released a statement acknowledging the incident and said that although the driver was trained and experienced, "terrain and vegetation" were blocking the truck's way and forced the guide to stop.
The Mirror has contacted South Luangwa National Park for comment.
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