Elephant shot dead to save people trapped inside the car which hit the animal at Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe
One person was killed while five others were injured after the vehicle they were travelling in crashed onto a giant elephant along Kazungula Road in the night of Wednesday, April 23, 2025.
Police reports say the accident occurred approximately 40 kilometers from Victoria Falls and the badly damaged vehicle got trapped under the jumbo with its human occupants.
The elephant had to be shot dead in order for rescue operations to be conducted that night.
The incident involved a Toyota Isis, a minivan, which, while driving on high speed, had rammed onto a sub-adult female elephant.
According to reliable sources of information, the driver of the minivan was travelling towards Victoria Falls City.
Apparently, the van driver attempted to overtake a stationary vehicle displaying hazard lights, unaware of the danger ahead.
The vehicle struck the elephant, which subsequently landed on the roof of the car.
It was explained that the stationary vehicle had actually come to a sudden stop in an effort to avoid a collision with the same elephant which was leisurely crossing the road at dusk.
The force of the impact propelled the vehicle approximately 100 meters into the bush, with the elephant still atop it. All six occupants of the vehicle were trapped inside with one losing life in the process.
Emergency services responded promptly to the scene. Unfortunately, though, one of the passengers seated in the front was declared dead upon arrival.
The other five sustained various injuries and were transported by ambulance to a local hospital for urgent medical attention.
It seems like the authorities were caught in a dilemma regarding the fate of the injured animal as well as how the passengers trapped in the van wreckage could be rescued.
The elephant, described as a sub-adult female, was severely hurt and immobilized after the crash. To safely retrieve the victims from the vehicle and prevent further suffering, the animal was euthanized at the scene.
According to sources, the Kazungula road of Zimbabwe is known to pass through territories frequented by wild animals, particularly elephants, which often roam freely in the region around Victoria Falls.