One person was killed and five others injured in a collision involving a Toyota Isis and a sub-adult female elephant on Wednesday evening, roughly 40 kilometres from Victoria Falls along Kazungula Road. The vehicle, travelling towards Victoria Falls City, reportedly attempted to overtake a stationary car displaying hazard lights, unaware of an elephant ahead.
The impact occurred when the Toyota struck the elephant, which then landed on the roof of the car. The stationary vehicle had stopped moments earlier to avoid hitting the same elephant. The collision propelled the Toyota approximately 100 metres into the bush, trapping all six occupants inside the wreckage.
Emergency services responded to the scene where the front-seat passenger was pronounced dead. The remaining five occupants sustained injuries of varying severity and were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
Authorities later euthanised the injured elephant to facilitate the recovery of the deceased passenger from the mangled vehicle. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
