According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism public relations officer, Romeo Muyunda, the incident occurred at Omega 3 village in Bwabwata National Park in Zambezi region.
Muyunda said preliminary investigation indicates that the incident happened around 08h00 south of Omega 3 while the deceased was on his way to his nearby crop field.
“It appears the deceased was unaware of the presence of the elephant in the vicinity, as it charged from close range, leaving him with no chance to escape,” he said.
He said community members heard the deceased screaming during the attack and they rushed to the scene, but it was too late.
The ministry staff tracked the elephant to a large herd, which made it difficult for them to continue tracking it, he said.
He added that the ministry staff will assist the deceased family, particularly in claiming for the N$100 000 funeral assistance as provided for in Human Wildlife Conflict Management Policy.
Muyunda added that eight people have lost their lives this year to wild animals, where four deaths resulted from crocodile attacks, elephants (2) and hippos (2).
“This is not a desirable situation for the ministry and, accordingly, we would like to caution people, particularly those that live in and around conservation areas,” he said.