Collision with elephant Near Victoria Falls leaves...

Collision with elephant Near Victoria Falls leaves 1 dead, 5 Injured

**Elephant carried on top of vehicle for 100m after fatal crash: ZBC Online**

ZimNow Reporter

One person was killed and five others injured Wednesday evening when their vehicle struck a young female elephant on Kazungula Road, just 40 kilometers from Victoria Falls.

The accident, reported by ZBC Online, comes at a time when Zimbabwe is preparing to make another pitch at CITES for a framework to sustainably benefit from its large elephant population.

Zimbabwe has a population of over 80 000 elephants against a capacity of around 20 000 but restrictions on international elephant product trade mean that the country has to burn up valuable ivory that could be a revenue earner to fund infrastructure development.

According to authorities, the collision occurred when the driver of a Toyota Isis attempted to overtake a stationary vehicle with its hazard lights activated. Unbeknownst to the driver, the stopped car had halted to avoid a sub-adult female elephant standing in the road.

In a split-second chain of events, the Toyota collided with the elephant, launching the massive animal onto the vehicle’s roof.

The impact hurled the car approximately 100 meters into nearby bushland, with the elephant still atop the crumpled wreckage.

All six occupants were trapped inside until emergency crews arrived. The front-seat passenger was pronounced dead at the scene.

The five survivors, including the driver, sustained injuries ranging from fractures to severe trauma and were rushed to a local hospital for treatment.

The injured elephant had to be euthanized to safely extract the victim’s body from the destroyed vehicle.

Kazungula Road is a critical transit route near Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famed for its proximity to elephant herds and other wildlife.