6 animals electrocuted in 'freak accident' at South Africa's Kruger park

LONDON -- Six large animals were electrocuted to death at South Africa's biggest national park in what officials described as "a freak accident."

A heavy storm toppled a power line in the Skukuza section of Kruger National Park last Friday, exposing a live cable that killed a giraffe and a white rhino, according to park spokesman Isaac Phaahla.

Two lions and two hyenas were also electrocuted while trying to feed on the carcasses.

"I think they also touched the live wire," Phaahla told ABC News via telephone Wednesday. "It is a freak accident."

Park rangers discovered the dead animals the following day. The rhino's horns were removed for safekeeping, according to Phaahla.

The world-renowned Kruger National Park is one of Africa's largest game reserves. It spans more than 7,523 square miles, roughly the size of Israel.