New information released on Monday by national park officials revealed that an Australian tourist, who had been reported missing near Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe late last week, had actually been missing for almost a week prior to that.
A 67-year-old tourist, whose identity has not been disclosed, was reported missing on Friday near the Zimbabwe Victoria Falls National Park. Officials stated that a search was ongoing with the use of sniffer dogs.
Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, revealed on Monday that the individual who went missing was a male and had last made contact on February 17th.
On February 17th, the individual tourist, who was on a solo trip, was residing at a high-end lodge approximately 3km away from the rainforest park. According to Farawo, the tourist informed the lodging staff of his plans to enter the park.
The man’s movements and whereabouts in the park could not be tracked or confirmed by the park’s rangers.
According to Farawo, although the park’s CCTV footage was reviewed, there was no evidence of the man entering the park. Additionally, the park’s usual practice of recording visitors for safety and monitoring purposes did not include the man. The man’s actions and location within the park were unable to be monitored or verified by the rangers.
Farawo stated that they have reviewed the CCTV footage and searched the physical records at the entrance of the falls, but there is no evidence of the individual entering. Additionally, their search team has thoroughly checked the surrounding rainforest but has not found any trace of the missing person.
He stated that we are exploring other possibilities since it appears he never went into the rainforest.
Farawo refrained from revealing any additional information, citing ongoing investigations.
In Victoria Falls, it is uncommon to experience such events. This location lures in numerous visitors from around the world to witness its grand waterfall, with a height of over 108 meters, flowing from the Zambezi River into a gorge below and creating a mist that can be seen from a distance.
According to Farawo, the parks department sent out a group consisting of law enforcement, park employees trained in detecting scents, and unmanned aerial vehicles to locate the missing Australian visitor on Friday.
Multiple instances have been documented in different parks. A visitor from Germany who went missing in Matusadona National Park last October, where an abundance of wildlife is present in northern Zimbabwe, was located unharmed and in good condition after three days.
Source: theguardian.com
