Retired British teacher and her cousin trampled to death 'in seconds' by elephant on safari, inquest told
Janet Taylor Easton, 67, died along with her cousin Alison Taylor (pictured) while on safari in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park on July 3 last year
A chemistry teacher and her cousin were trampled to death "in a matter of seconds" by a charging elephant, an inquest has been told.
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Janet Taylor Easton, 67, died along with her cousin Alison Taylor, also 67, while on safari in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park on July 3 last year.
The teacher, from Bradford, was taking part in a guided walk through the African wilderness when their guide spotted a "peaceful" female elephant with a younger, sub-adult elephant in the distance.
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But seconds later, the elephant came "charging from behind" and reached the group "very quickly", Bradford Coroner's Court heard.
Ms Easton fell to the ground and died from the elephant attack, which caused traumatic thoracic injuries.
The inquest into her death had previously been adjourned until a report had been produced by the Zambian Ministry of Tourism.
But the report "did not add very much", assistant coroner Caroline Chandler said as she went on to return a conclusion of death by misadventure.
Ms Easton had travelled extensively after retiring in August 2022 from her position as a chemistry teacher at Titus Salt School in Baildon, Bradford, a role she had held for 39 years.
Her trips included exploring New Zealand, Canada and Brazil - before she headed to Zambia with Ms Taylor.
Ms Easton and her cousin, who was from New Zealand, had left their camp early to attend a safety briefing before their fatal guided walk.
Discussing their route, Ms Chandler told the court: "The plan was a guided walk on foot to the Luangwa River where they would cross by canoe and continue on an onward flight to a bush camp."
The group was led by a guide, also referred to as a scout, and followed by a tracker - a skilled individual who guides tourists across the route.
"The guide spotted the elephant and adjusted the walk so they were downwind and remained undetected", Ms Chandler said.
"What happened next is described as happening in a matter of seconds.
"The tracker saw the elephant charging from behind and shouted towards the scout who fired a warning shot. The elephant did not stop. The elephant reached the group very quickly and Janet fell."
While recording her conclusion, Ms Chandler told Ms Easton's brother that he "still had a lot of unanswered questions" regarding his sister's death and hoped his family "could get to the bottom of those to find some closure".
She added: "Janet was on a walking safari and went out with all intent and purposes on what she intended to be a lovely excursion that day.
"She certainly didn't anticipate that it would end in the way that it very sadly did."