British tourists in Botswana have been trampled by a bull elephant after it flipped their boats in crocodile-infested waters.
Several canoes were on a wildlife safari in the Okavango Delta on Saturday when a bull elephant charged towards the group.
It is thought the beast was acting to protect its young after the canoes, which were of the traditional style carved from wood, got too close to the herd.
The boats, also known as mokoros, which had a pair of British and American tourists on board, are often used for getting close to wildlife including elephants, crocodiles, hippopotamuses and birds.
Footage of the incident, which has been posted online, shows the animal rushing at the tourists as the guides desperately try to retreat.
However, the bull reached the boats and hit the two closest to it with its trunk, knocking them over and tipping the people into the water.
One video then appears to show a woman being barged into by the elephant and she became submerged in the water.
She later reappeared as the elephants, two adults and two children, walk away.
One woman was knocked over by the elephant in the water | CONSERVATION NATIONAL PARKSThe wetland where the incident happened was registered by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site in 2014 and is famous for its biodiversity.
Although the name of travel company used is not known, a receptionist told the Daily Mail that British and American tourists made up to group on the tour.
She said: "There was a lot of expensive camera equipment and phones lost or damaged, but it is a blessing nobody was badly hurt, but wild animals can be very unpredictable."
It is thought the incident did not happen in a protected wildlife area but rather near a village from which foreign tourists often hire locals to act as personal guides.
ANIMALS - READ MORE:
The bull elephant knocked into two of the canoes, capsizing them
|CONSERVATION NATIONAL PARKS
A former South African game ranger discussed the footage with the Daily Mail, saying: "They had a very lucky escape indeed because all four could just have easily been killed by that angry bull.
"The woman was lucky not to have been gored, but if it had held her down for another few seconds, it would probably have drowned her. So she can praise the Lord he didn't.
"There are thousands of these dugout, traditional Mokoro canoes on the delta, polling tourists through the reeds to view elephants, hippo, birds and crocodiles.
"This bull attacked because it was protecting its young, and it seems the guides misjudged how close they could take the tourists safely and made a potentially fatal mistake."
Elephants are known for being very protective of their calves
|CONSERVATION NATIONAL PARKS
A similar incident happened earlier this year when a motorboat with British tourists on board was stuck by an elephant.
In July, two female tourists, one Briton and one from New Zealand, were killed in Zambia by a female elephant which charged from where it was with its calf.
African elephants can weigh up to seven tonnes, and are known for being protective of their calves.