Vacation Nightmare: Elephant Attack Claims Minnesota Woman’s Life

It's a terrible international story involving a woman from Minnesota who tragically lost her life while on safari in Africa.

We're just now learning more about this horrible story that took place over the weekend in the African nation of Zambia. Several national news organizations reported on the incident, including ABC News, which said the tragic event happened last Saturday at Kafue National Park in Zambia.

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"An aggressive bull elephant charged the vehicle carrying six guests and a guide who were on a game drive from Lufupa Camp," Wilderness, the company operating the safari, said in a statement to ABC News Wednesday.

And we now know that the victim is a 79-year-old woman from here in Minnesota. KSTP in Minneapolis said the family of Gail Mattison confirmed that she was fatally injured during the attack, and passed away on-scene near the city of Lusaka.

The family was contacted by the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia, KSTP said, noting that Mattison lived both here in Minnesota and at a residence in Arizona. KARE-11 in Minneapolis noted that Mattison was a resident of Hopkins.

According to ABC, Wilderness, the tour company says the tragic accident occurred when its tour vehicle was blocked in as the elephant charged, which left the driver unable to move or escape. Another tourist is reported hospitalized while four others suffered minor injuries in the accident, the story said.

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This BBC story noted that the CEO of Wilderness, Keith Vincent, said local police and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife in Zambia are continuing to investigate the tragic incident while offering condolences to the Mattison family.

"This is a tragic and we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the guest who died," Vincent told the BBC in the story. "We are also, naturally, supporting those guests and the guide involved in this distressing incident."

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