The latest information from national park officials on Monday revealed that an Australian tourist, missing near Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe since late last week, had already been unaccounted for nearly a week.
The 67-year-old traveler, whose identity remains undisclosed, was reported missing from the vicinity of Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls National Park on Friday. At that time, authorities initiated a search operation with sniffer dogs.
Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Tinashe Farawo confirmed on Monday that the missing tourist, a male, had last been in contact on February 17. The solo traveler was staying at a luxury hotel approximately 3 kilometers from the rainforest park and had informed hotel management of his intention to visit the park on that day.
However, CCTV footage did not capture him entering the park, and there is no record of his entry, which is typically documented for accountability and security reasons, according to Mr. Farawo. Despite reviewing footage and conducting searches in the rainforest, there is no trace of the missing tourist.
Victoria Falls, a popular destination attracting numerous global tourists, rarely experiences such incidents. The parks agency has mobilized a search team, including police, rangers, sniffer dogs, ground trackers, and drones. Mr. Farawo noted that incidents like these are infrequent at Victoria Falls, which is renowned for its impressive waterfall on the Zambezi River.
Notably, there have been rare cases in other parks, such as a German tourist missing in Matusadona National Park last October who was found alive and well three days later.
