May 23, 2026, 3:09 p.mMay 23, 2026, 3:09 p.m
Police in South Africa have launched a murder investigation into the deaths of two safari tourists in the famous Kruger National Park. A 71-year-old man and a woman, whose identities are still being determined, were found with serious injuries to their upper bodies in the north of the park on Friday, Limpopo provincial police said. The police do not provide any information about nationalities.
According to information, the two visitors were last seen on Wednesday at the Pafuri picnic area in the far north of the park. There the park borders on the neighboring countries Mozambique and Zimbabwe. When the couple didn’t return, a search began. Other tourists discovered the bodies on a nearby river bank Friday afternoon.
Murder and kidnapping investigations
“Initial investigations revealed that the male deceased had stab wounds on his upper body, while the female deceased also suffered serious injuries on her upper body, which were believed to have been inflicted with a sharp object,” the police said.
The two’s vehicle is missing. The circumstances of the incident are still unclear and the police have opened two investigations into murder and kidnapping.
The security situation around the national park, with hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, had already made headlines in the past after a German holidaymaker was shot in an attack near the park on his way to a safari holiday in 2022. (sda/dpa)