Elephant attack during safari kills 80-year-old American tourist in Zambia’s Kafue National Park

An elderly American tourist died after an “aggressive” male elephant attacked a vehicle during a safari in Zambia, the safari operator said.

The incident took place on Saturday morning in Kafue National Park in Zambia, a Lusaka police spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.

“An aggressive bull elephant attacked the vehicle carrying six guests and a guide who were on a safari from Lufupa Camp,” Wilderness, the company that operates the safari, said in a statement to ABC News on Wednesday.

The 80-year-old woman was injured during the “unexpected” incident and was taken to a hospital in South Africa, where she later died, according to Wilderness. Four other people were treated for minor injuries following the incident, the company said.

“The six guests were on the safari when the male elephant unexpectedly charged the vehicle,” Keith Vincent, executive director of Wilderness, said in the statement, adding that the safari guide’s vehicle was “blocked” by terrain at the time. of the attack.

“Our guides are very well trained and experienced, but unfortunately in this case the terrain and vegetation was such that the guide’s route was blocked and he was unable to get the vehicle out of danger quickly enough,” Vincent said.

Following the attack, Kafue National Park management was immediately called to help and a helicopter was sent to the scene, according to Vincent. Local Police, Zambia Department of National Parks & Wildlife and other authorities are involved in the investigation, he said.

“This is a tragic event and we express our deepest condolences to the family of the guest who passed away,” he said in the statement. “Naturally, we also support the guests and guide involved in this distressing incident.”

The elderly woman’s remains will be repatriated to her family in the United States with the support of local Zambian authorities and the US embassy in Lusaka, according to the statement.

Last month, a similar attack by a male elephant occurred in Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa.

Hendry Blom, a bystander who caught the incident on camera, told ABC News: “We were definitely scared, especially for the people in the truck because we thought they might die.”

-ABC News’ Victoria Beaule contributed to this report.