Two foreign tourists have been trampled to death by an Elephant at Maramba River Lodge in Livingstone.
Zambia Police Service acting Spokesperson Danny Mwale confirmed the incident in a press statement issued to ZANIS in Lusaka today.
Mr Mwale said the two are a lady from Belgium aged 57 and a 64 year old man from the Netherlands were killed as they went close to the Elephant to try to take photographs of one of Zambia’s big five game.
He said police officers who visited the scene and found the bodies of the deceased lying on the ground with multiple injuries all over their bodies.
Mr Mwale said names of the deceased have been withheld till their next of kin are informed.
The police spokesperson said the bodies have been deposited at Batoka Hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem while an inquiry file has been opened for further investigations.
Recently a security guard on his way to work was killed by an elephant in the tourist capital.
Sorry, RiP! Please advise tourists these are not Indian elephants these are baroste elephants they are not happy with lungu…
There is something dumb about foreign tourists who go to African on these holidays….game Safaris. I don’t know why they can’t get it that these are wild animals and not not domestic horses, hence they need to be respected as such. Especially if you are on their turf.
Didn’t we just read about another incidence if S/Africa where a tourist was mould to death after getting out of the car, despite signs allover warning never to do this, and tried to get close to a pride of lions. And here we are again talking about a similar situation….foreign tourists getting to close to wild animals for a photo!
If they where ambushed; one would understand. But there is no excuse for someone to recklessly put themselves in danger like this. RIP!!!
Dunderheads abound. How does anyone in there right mind link this story to ECL.
Dunderheads abound. How does anyone in their right mind link this story to ECL.
Lord have mercy. Are there no perimeter fences for safety?
This woman was an very much passionate about elephant protection and has lived in the Southern African wild for decades. She was on leave from her job as an incredible lodge manager in Tanzania with a wealth of knowledge of wild animals. We do not know exactly what happened from this article, but I can tell you that these were not ‘dumb foreign tourists’, they new more about wild animals than most people I have met and had so much respect for the animals and their potential danger. I want to reiterate that this is not about silly naive tourists but an extremly tragic event.
@Ndobo, but I wonder how Kings and queens of barotseland used to ride those vicious elephants. Then sold copperbelt land for 2 bicycles and a wheelbarrow.
Don’t joke in a serious issue like this. People have died ka?
Ndiwe polo
Too sad a story. We mourn with those who mourn. May the family draw from the spirit of peace and hospitable environment in our country
R I P!some Zambians need to be educated how do you bring in politics in such a thing? Go back to school .
mwebantu the guy used sarcasm lighten up a little
We must worry about genuine problems such as people who are dying of malaria, cholera hunger and Aids in Africa. Furthermore, whites are propagandists, liars and devilish. I feel nothing anyway and bye. Sorry for wasting my efforts and thanks for knowing the truth.
Let’s not be so heartless. Life is life. The same blood that runs through you ran through them. The only thing worth criticism here is their recklessness in getting too close to a wild animal.
Why you are so inhuman and racist?
Whites did horrible things -like all races- but don’t blame them all.
Wow, I learn, racism lives everywhere…… Post doctoral fellow…. Post post post doctoral fellow I assume, your level is below zero.
Ndiwe polo yambuzi
Iwe ndobo fuseke I think your teacher was so dull. What has this to do with President Lungu.
Ndobo those Maramba elephants are upnd cadres
Ndiwe polo.
This woman was an very much passionate about elephant protection and has lived in the Southern African wild for decades. She was on leave from her job as an incredible lodge manager in Tanzania with a wealth of knowledge of wild animals, we do not know exactly what happened from this article, but I can tell you that these were not ‘dumb foreign tourists’. Show some resepct Yambayamba.
@Olly, I apologise if what you are saying is true. But the article above does NOT give the kind of details you are telling us. So why should you blame me for reacting the way I did? Blame the “half baked” Lusaka Times way of reporting news…. pathetic!
I will always respect people who have dedicated their lives to the welfare of wild animals. We surely need such folks in this heartless world where it is always about kill, kill, kill without any care for future generations. I guess every “job” has it’s own hazards. RIP!!!
Just saw the photos on social media…the problem with Western Tourists they think the are at a play park with domesticated animals.
Nope… some maybe. But most western tourist certainly know how to behave an be careful. I do for example
Very fun how people stop contributing to the story at hand and go into politics later insulting one another. Kkkkkkkkkkkk.
This is the same elephant that killed a guard a week ago. Since ZAWA was scrapped I wonder if we still have rangers to go out and hunt it down….or could it be one mans juju that causing the killings
@1 ndobo, if you must know, this is too much of a coincidence. Recently we had some chiefs and politicians riding an ELEPHANT during a tribal “ceremony”. No other chiefs from other regions were invited. Most importantly they made it a point NOT to invite any government official. Was there something that was not supposed to be seen by others? We all took it lightly thinking it was merely tribalism but was it? A security guard trumpled by an ELEPHANT and now experienced tourists trumpled to death by an ELEPHANT? Too much of a coincidence. Is it the same ELEPHANT in a three cases cited above?
@*****bull, uhhhmmm, some food for thought. These are things Stephen Sackur called “bizarre incidents” or “bizarre behaviour”!!!.
Some bizarre individuals too!!!
Rest in peace
May your souls rest in peace.May the peace of God rest with all bereaved families.
So sad Father in your hands l commit their souls.
Kill that Elephant now.
It will kill again soon.
A domestic or wild animal that kills a human must always be put-down.
Simple sense of safety and security.
Killing it is not revenge or seeking justice.
JUST DO IT. S#!T
Ye should be the one put down ye nob.
Two lives are lost in a tragic wildlife human encounter. Let’s not turn such a sad story into a political, racial, tribal or a joking matter. Two lives are lost. We must wish the families comfort and healing from such a tragic accident. May God comfort all those directly and/or indirectly affected. And Maramba lodge has to deal with this issue. Pray for them too. May God help us!!
Those who connects this incident to the President needs proper councelling because if delayed, his family may lose him. Our prayers goes to the families who have lost these beloved people. Whatever happened, the almighty God has the answer.
@HaJayJay, this is not the President’s fault? Maybe you are begining to grow up. But Under Fives usually suffer from regression. We might see a donki out of you Hagain!
Was at the scene 30 minutes after it happened. It was tragic. Something we should remember these people loved elephants and had spent of the time around them. Unfortunately this happened and it is very sad . We should all know that one day we will all die in one way or another we just don’t know how. We may make mistakes, take risks for our passions. We must believe that our lives are constantly at risk . As I believe it’s the depth and not the length of our lives that matter. May their souls rest in peace .let’s learn to love everybody no matter what they look like where they from or what risks they took. After all we are only human.
Death is a very sad thing which we are all destined to, we all dont know how it will catchup with the rest of us please stop blaming the two old folks. it is sad it has being caused by the animals they loved and cared for. May their souls rest in peace.
Even if some people are saying the two late tourists are experienced in wildlife issues, it doesn’t matter. The animals maybe the same elephants but ours here in Zambia are not tamed. I think at the entrance of every national park in Zambia there’s a very clear message that “you have entered the territory of dangerous wild animals, so watch out.” The problem with light-skinned people is that they are too adventurous.
This is an ignorant and retarded statement..Whats light skin got to do with it? Your own dog can turn around and kill you. At the end of the day, they are wild animals, the two may have kept the required safe distance but the elephant could just have been in an aggressive mood caused by several factors such as hormonal imbalance. At the end of the day we are all going to die however careful (freakish accidents happen!).. These two died at the hands of what they loved most. Cest Lavie
Of course it’s true that white people can be ‘dangerously’ adventurous at times. We do not know the exact details about what happened but there are only two possibilities: Either the late tourists got too close to the elephant such that the animal thought it was in danger and so charged towards her or the animal was wounded. I was once in Lower Zambezi national park where elephants were walking close to us and the guides there warned us to move away and not get closer to them.
If it is the same animal that killed the guard, just gun it down because now it has the instinct of killing humans. It will kill again.
or just remove the humans from their habitat
Condolences to the family; the tourists should have had guards when taking photos; so were the guards there or not? did the lodge owners give the tourists enough warning? Zambian Tourism industry is in crises with low tourist arrivals and I think this news might not go well with our tourism industry. the elephant should have been killed; life is precious;
Sorry for the unnecessary deaths. Senseless
Ok bane people need education in zambia. before you make a statement please visit books to understand the character of the thing you are dealing with.
pleases read this: “Musth or must /?m?st/ is a periodic condition in bull (male) elephants, characterized by highly aggressive behavior and accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones. Testosterone levels in an elephant in musth can be as much as 60 times … Often, elephants in musth discharge a thick tar-like secretion called temporin …”….. this is just to shade a bit of light to some people.
it matters less whether you are an expert in something, it can surely kill you, in fact the things that pose a lot of danger to us are those which we have a lot.
before we actually make a move that puts us the a dangerous spot,…
I just hope they wont seek out the elephant and slaughter it,ye get too close to a wild animal then expect to be attacked.
Sad development indeed; While all these writings are running , there ‘s someone whose dad ,uncle or granddad has gone, whose mother ,sister, aunt or grandmum has been lost to this tragic . An empty dinner chair ,bedspace deserted, abandoned office : a widower or widow pacing around writhing with pain of loss, someone asking ” God why ?”. and all this whilst these writings are running. Strange world Indeed!!!! May God comfort souls mourning the departed.
The article is not correct. This 2 “tourists” were not making pics at all. The woman was just watching the elephants passing by from her lodge when suddenly one of them came running towards her. When the man wanted to help her, they were both killed. The man was in company of his daughter and son in law, who saw it all happening at some distance. They all were on holidays by visiting the woman who lived 16 years in Tanzania and had even elephants drinking from her swimmingpool over there. He went at least 2 times a year there for months travelling with her through Africa since 2014.
This was an accident nobody can explain. It has been and still is a nighmair for family and friends we never will forget. May they rest in peace