PICTURED: American tourist, 79, who was killed by a five-ton bull elephant on safari in Zambia told her friends it ‘was going to be her last big adventure’

This is the American woman killed by an elephant during a safari in Zambia over the weekend.

Gail Mattson, 79, a Minnesota resident, died in the attack while traveling with five other tourists on a safari in Kafue National Park on Saturday. One more person was seriously injured in the attack.

Mattson’s family shared heartbreaking photos taken the day she was murdered, showing her holding a flower inside a safari vehicle. Her loved ones said she was ‘living life’ that day, she reported. KSTP.

He lived between Minnesota and Arizona and told his friends that the safari would be “his last big adventure.”

His friend John Longabauth added: “Because his birthday is in the summer, I think he was going to turn 80 and he felt like he was going to start slowing down.”

‘To be honest, I don’t know if I would slow down or not. But at least you probably wouldn’t travel that far.

Terrifying images captured the moment the huge elephant charged the vehicle carrying the tourists.

The vehicle was attacked and overturned when the enraged five-tonne animal, apparently separated from its herd, ran at top speed to catch up with the vehicle thought to be traveling at 40km/h, before the driver abruptly stopped.

The video shows one tourist saying “oh my God” as the elephant keeps pace with the car, while another says “oh oh” and a third adds “it’s coming fast” in the last desperate moments before the collision.

The ranger suddenly stops the vehicle before the elephant turns to the right and attacks the safari truck, leading to speculation in wide shots that they had run out of road. The driver shouts ‘hey hey hey hey hey’ loudly as he realizes that this is not a dummy cargo and that the five-tonne elephant measuring 10 feet tall intends to make a deadly attack.

Tourists can be heard panicking and screaming as they continue to film the deadly encounter as the elephant hooks its one-metre tusks under the body of the truck and flips it on its side before the footage cuts out.

The guests in the truck are believed to have been all Americans and were staying at the Lufupa River Camp in Kafue National Park, which is the oldest and second largest safari park in the world.

The tented camp charges £350 per person per night.

Wilderness CEO Keith Vincent confirmed that an 80-year-old American guest was killed, another was seriously injured and four other tourists suffered minor injuries.

Vincent said the seriously injured guest was flown to a private medical facility in South Africa and the other four were treated at a clinic and given trauma counselling.

He said: “Around 09:30 on Saturday, the six guests were on the safari when the bull elephant unexpectedly charged the vehicle.

‘All of our guides are very well trained and experienced, but unfortunately the terrain and vegetation was such that the guide’s route was blocked.

“He was unable to get the vehicle out of danger quickly enough,” adding that the Kafue National Park management immediately provided assistance.”

He said a helicopter was sent to the scene and given the nature of the incident, police, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife and other authorities are involved in investigating the matter.

Wilderness is a leading conservation and hospitality company, welcoming guests to many African counties to help conserve iconic wild areas.

It currently helps conserve six million acres of land in 8 African countries.

Vincent added: “This is an extremely tragic event and we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the guest who passed away.”

‘We also naturally support the guests and guide involved in this distressing incident. The deceased will be repatriated to the US.

Kafue National Park is the size of Wales, covering 22,000 square kilometers and is home to the African Big Five: lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and rhinos.

Elephants kill an estimated 500 people a year in Africa.

In March, an elephant also killed a 36-year-old guide at the Gondwana Private Game Reserve in South Africa.

Daniel Kandela died after encountering the last elephant in the herd, separated from its group.

A statement issued at the time read: “His untimely passing leaves a void within the Gondwana family, as David was not only a colleague but also a source of warmth and expertise among his peers.

‘Our hearts and thoughts remain with David’s family and friends during this immensely difficult time. Gondwana is committed to supporting all those affected by this tragic incident.’