Two women were tragically killed after going on a walking safari in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. An elephant trampled the two to death in a matter of seconds.
Both Easton Taylor and Alison Taylor of New Zealand died during the safari while visiting the park. Assistant coroner Caroline Chandler ruled their death to be a "misadventure." An eelephant surprised the two and trampled them while at the park. Chandler commented on their deaths at a hearing over the accident.
Expert Africa had organized the safari. The two deceased had been cousins.
"The plan was a guided walk on foot to the Luangwa River where they would cross by canoe and continue on an onward flight to a Bush camp," Chandler told the court. The guide noticed the elephant with her calf, but the animals had been far from the group. "The guide adjusted the walk so they were down wind and remained undetected."
Elephant Kills Two
"What happened next is described as happening in a matter of seconds," the coroner continued, per the BBC. "The tracker saw the elephant charging from behind and shouted towards the scout who fired a warning shot. The elephant did not stop. The elephant reached the group very quickly and Janice fell."
The elephant charged Alison and Janice, killing them.
"Janice was on a walking safari and went out with all intent and purposes on what she intended to be a lovely excursion that day," Chandler said, per the BBC. "She certainly didn't anticipate that it would end in the way that it very sadly did."
Chandler also added that there were still "a lot of unanswered questions and I hope you get to the bottom of those so you and the rest of the family can have some closure."
