Elephant Meets Minibus, With Deadly Results

A nighttime drive through Uganda's largest national park ended in disaster on Sunday when a vehicle carrying tax officials crashed into an elephant, killing three people. Police say the minibus carrying seven officials from the Uganda Revenue Authority was traveling from the northern city of Arua to the capital, Kampala, when it hit the elephant crossing a road inside Murchison Falls National Park and "subsequently lost control," per CBS News. Pulse Uganda reports the injured elephant aggressively charged the vehicle, flipping it over.

Three occupants were pronounced dead, with four survivors taken to a nearby hospital, then transferred to Kampala for further treatment. Authorities did not say what ultimately happened to the elephant. Crashes involving both vehicles and wildlife have been climbing in Uganda as settlements push closer to protected areas, per the BBC. The Uganda Wildlife Authority urged drivers to slow down and stay alert in parks, warning that animals frequently cross roads that cut through their habitats. The wildlife authority previously estimated three park animals were killed each day by speeding vehicles.