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 who was killed by an elephant during a safari in Zambia this weekend.

Minnesota resident Gail Mattson died in the attack on Saturday while traveling with five other tourists on a game drive in Kafue National Park. Another person was seriously injured in the attack.

Mattson’s family shared heartbreaking photos taken the day she was killed, showing her holding a flower in a safari vehicle. Her loved ones said she was “living the life” that day, as reported by KSTP.

Living between Minnesota and Arizona, she told friends the safari would be “her last great adventure.”

Her friend John Longabauth added, “Because her birthday is in the summer, I think she was going to be 80, and she felt like she was going to slow down.

“Honestly, I don’t know if she would slow down or not. But then you probably don’t have to travel that far.’

Gruesome footage captured the moment the huge elephant attacked the vehicle the tourists were traveling in.

The vehicle was attacked and rolled as the enraged five-ton animal, apparently separated from its herd, ran at full speed to overtake the vehicle believed to be traveling at 25mph – before the driver stopped abruptly.

Video shows one tourist saying ‘oh my goodness’ as the elephant keeps pace with the car, while another says ‘oh oh’ and a third adds ‘it’s coming soon’ in the last desperate moments before impact.

The ranger suddenly stops the vehicle before the elephant swings to the right and attacks the safari truck, prompting speculation from wide shots that they had lost their way. The driver shouts loudly ‘hey hey hey hey hey’ when he realizes that it is not a mock attack and that the five-ton elephant, more than three meters high, is planning to carry out a deadly attack.

The tourists can be heard panicking and screaming as they continue filming the deadly encounter as the elephant hooks its three-foot-long tusks under the body of the truck and turns it on its side before cutting the recording.

It is believed that the guests in the truck were all Americans and were staying at the Lufupa River Camp in Kafue National Park, the oldest and second largest safari park in the world.

The tented camp costs £350 per person per night.

Wilderness Chief Executive Officer Keith Vincent confirmed that an American guest aged 80 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 four others were receiving treatment and trauma therapy at a clinic.

He says: ‘Around 9.30 am on Saturday, the six guests were on the game drive when the vehicle was unexpectedly attacked by the bull elephant.

‘Our guides are all extremely well trained and experienced, but unfortunately the terrain and vegetation were such that the guide’s route became blocked.

“He could not move the vehicle out of the danger zone fast enough,” adding that Kafue National Park management immediately provided assistance.

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

Wilderness is a leading conservation and hospitality company that welcomes guests to many African provinces to help conserve iconic wilderness areas.

It currently helps conserve six million hectares of land in eight African countries.

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

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

Kafue National Park is the size of Wales, covers 22,000 square kilometers and is home to Africa’s Big 5: lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhinos.

Elephants kill an estimated 500 people a year in Africa.

In March, a 36-year-old guide was also killed by an elephant in South Africa’s Gondwana Private Game Reserve.

Daniel Kandela died after encountering the last elephant in the herd, separated from his 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 colleagues.

“Our hearts and thoughts remain with David’s family and friends during this extremely difficult time. Gondwana pledges to support all people affected by this tragic incident.”