Police in South Africa have launched a murder investigation after two safari tourists were found dead in the famous Kruger National Park, which attracts hundreds of thousands of people each year.
The bodies of a 71-year-old man and a woman, whose identities are still being established, were found on Friday with serious injuries on the upper body in the north of the park, according to Limpopo provincial police. The National Parks Authority told dpa that both were South African citizens.
According to reports, the two tourists were in the national park since Sunday and were last seen at the Pafuri picnic spot in the far north of the park on Wednesday.
There, the park is bordered by the neighboring countries Mozambique and Zimbabwe. When the couple did not return, a search was started for them.
Other tourists spotted the bodies on the banks of a nearby river on Friday afternoon.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the man had been stabbed with a knife on his upper body, while the woman had also allegedly suffered serious wounds on her upper body from a sharp object,” the police statement said.
The vehicle used by the pair is still missing.
The circumstances of the incident remain unclear, and police have launched two investigations of murder and kidnapping.
The South African National Parks Authority expressed surprise and disappointment in a statement. Forest Minister Willie Aucamp said, this is the first incident of its kind in the history of the national park.
The families have been informed and are being assisted with travel arrangements and repatriation of the bodies.