Africa-Press – Mozambique. A 34-year-old Italian man was injured after the vehicle he was driving collided with an elephant in Maputo National Park, southern Mozambique.
According to the park director, Miguel Gonçalves, the incident occurred on Saturday night as the man was crossing the park on National Road 1 (N1) en route to the capital, Maputo.
“The gentleman was travelling from Ponta do Ouro towards Maputo,” explained Gonçalves. “There were elephants on the road, which happens occasionally, and he ended up hitting one of them with his car,” he said.
Following the crash, the elephants destroyed the vehicle, and the victim was taken to a private health facility in Maputo, where he is now reported to be stable, Gonçalves added.
In a statement, the National Administration for Conservation Areas (ANAC) confirmed that the man, who suffered serious injuries, was travelling alone. ANAC adds that the accident is suspected to have been caused by excessive speed.
The ANAC emphasises that “on the 8 km stretch crossing Maputo National Park, along National Road 1, a maximum speed of 50 km/h is recommended.” due to the presence of wildlife.
“This is the second case this year; the first occurred outside the 8-kilometre stretch that crosses the park towards Ponta do Ouro, when a national citizen collided with an elephant on the N1,” ANAC noted.
Mozambique’s 2023 Basic Environmental Indicators report, published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), recalls that in 2018 the country had an estimated population of 9,114 elephants and 64,800 buffaloes, among numerous other large species.
Source: Lusa
