A Minnesota woman died after her tour vehicle was charged by an elephant during a safari in Africa.
Gail Mattson, who was 79, was on safari at Kafue National Park in western Zambia on March 30 when a bull elephant approached her tour group’s truck, which was carrying six tourists and a guide.
The elephant ran toward the truck and flipped it over, as seen in a video shared on social media that appears to show the incident.
Mattson’s daughter, Rona Wells, confirmed that her mother passed away while on safari, writing in an April 2 Facebook post that her mom “lost her life in a tragic accident while on her dream adventure.”
The tour company that operated Mattson’s tour, Wilderness, confirmed in an April 2 press release that an American tourist died after a tour vehicle was “unexpectedly charged” by an “aggressive bull elephant.’
“Our guides are extremely well trained and experienced, but sadly in this instance the terrain and vegetation was such that the guide’s route became blocked and he could not move the vehicle out of harm’s way quickly enough,” Keith Vincent, the CEO of Wilderness, said in a statement.
Another female tourist was injured in the incident, and four other guests received treatment for minor injuries, according to Wilderness.
The tour company also said in a statement that Mattson’s body would be repatriated to the United States with help from Zambian authorities and the U.S. embassy in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital.
This incident came after another situation involving an aggressive elephant occurred in South Africa’s Pilanesberg National Park last month.
In a video captured by a tourist that appears to show the moment, the elephant can be seen charging a safari tour truck and lifting it with its tusks. No one was hurt in that incident.
These types of frightening run-ins with wildlife are quite rare during safaris, Marlon du Toit, a professional safari guide and wildlife photographer, told NBC News.
Commenting on the fatal incident in Zambia, du Toit said “it’s extremely rare to see an elephant that irate react so aggressively.”
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years and I’ve never had an encounter as aggressive (as) that with elephants,” he added.
He also told NBC News that he had worked with the tour company involved in the Zambia incident for years, and called them one of the best in Africa.
“Across Africa, there are thousands and thousands of guests on safari on a daily basis, with no negative consequences,” he said.