3 killed in Uganda after vehicle collides with elephant
By BBC, May 25, 2026At least three people have died after a vehicle collided with an elephant in a national park in Uganda, officials have said.
Police said four other people were injured in the incident in Murchison Falls National Park in the northwest of the country on Sunday evening.
The vehicle was carrying seven officials from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), it added.
Car accidents are common in Uganda and incidents involving wildlife and humans are also on the rise, as expanding communities encroach on protected wildlife areas.
The car had been travelling from Arua city back to the capital, Kampala, when the collision took place, the Uganda Police Force said on X.
The injured were rushed to a local hospital and later to Kampala for treatment, it said. Officials did not provide information on the elephant’s condition.
The Ugandan Wildlife Authority urged drivers to watch out for animals crossing the roads.
“Motorists travelling through Protected Areas are strongly advised to drive cautiously, as wild animals frequently cross the roads,” it said.
Past elephant attack
In 2022, a Colombian researcher died after being trampled on by an elephant in Uganda’s Kibale National Park.
Ramirez Amaya Sebastian, who is based at a university in the US, had been carrying out routine research in the park forest with an assistant when the incident happened, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
“They came across a lone elephant which charged at them forcing the duo to run in different directions. The elephant followed Sebastian and trampled on him leading to his death,” UWA’s spokesman Bashir Hangi is quoted as saying.
The elephant attack at Kibale was the first deadly incident at the park in 50 years, UWA said.
In January, a Saudi tourist was killed by an elephant at Murchison Falls, another park in the country, when he left the vehicle he was travelling in with friends.