Two British tourists killed by elephant in Hwange

Two British tourists killed by elephant in Hwange

• CID probes disappearence of Muzenda medal

• Italian killed by elephant on Zim safari

• Quake rocks Zimbabwe, again

• Earthquake rocks Mozambique, Zimbabwe

• Zim to cull, relocate elephants

• Zim moves rhinos to prevent poaching

• Lion kills Japanese diplomat in Zim

• Villagers barbecue ravenous lion

• New book claims Great Zimbabwe built by Indonesians

• Zimbabwe overrun with elephants

• Dutch police intercept Zimbabwe ivory cargo

• Zim's elephant numbers inflated

• Elephants erase dinasaur footprints

• Spirit medium demands $45 billion from game farmer

• Sulphuric acid spills into Mtshabezi river

• Robbers strike Bulawayo Museum

By Staff Reporter

TWO British tourists were killed and another seriously injured by a rampaging elephant in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park, reports said.

The attack by the elephant on the group of tourists happened on Saturday while they were on safari in the park with a tour guide.

"I can confirm that two people were killed and one was injured. We are investigating to see if there was an act of negligence on the part of the tour guides," police spokesman Edmore Veterai said.

The names of the dead tourists have not been released. The injured person was taken to a hospital in Zimbabwe's southern city of Bulawayo.

Tour guides usually carry rifles to protect their clients in the event of attack from rogue buffaloes, lions or elephants.

An official in the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said the attack by the elephant might have taken place too quickly for the guide to react.

"I am not sure what action was taken by the guide, but it is possible that the elephant could have charged so fast and suddenly that there was no chance for the guide to react," said Tawanda Gotosa, the provincial game warden for the area.

Last year, the husband of the famous Italian fashion designer Anna Molinari was killed by an elephant in Zimbabwe while on safari.

Gianpaolo Tarabini, a regular visitor to Africa, was with a professional hunter and a friend in the Zambezi Valley when two elephants unexpectedly charged the group and one of them trampled him. - Reuters
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
newsdesk@newzimbabwe.com