An elderly American tourist has died following a hippo attack this week, Zambia's tourism minister announced Friday.

"The Ministry of Tourism is saddened to learn of the tragic accident on June 5 in the Lower Zambezi National Park," Rodney Sikumba said in a statement.

The Department of National Parks and Wildlife said a 70-year-old woman tourist was on a walking safari with a tour guide when a hippo suddenly attacked her.

Sikumba said in the capital Lusaka that the incident served as a poignant reminder of the shared responsibility to ensure the safety of visitors to national parks, game management areas and all protected areas.

"Despite the efforts of our well-trained wildlife police officer and tour guide to intervene when the hippo was spotted starting to attack the tourist, the situation tragically resulted in loss of life," he said, adding that the ministry of he expresses regret for the incident.

Sikumba said investigators are looking into what may have gone wrong with rapid intervention protocols to avoid injury or death. He added that such incidents are taken seriously by his ministry, which has a mandate to ensure the safety of all visitors. /AA