An American tourist and her one-year-old child have been trampled to death by an elephant in Kenya, officials say.

They were walking in a group in Mount Kenya Forest with a tour guide when the elephant attacked.

“The woman and her daughter died on the spot. The others escaped unhurt because they were able to run,” AFP news agency quoted a police officer as saying.

The owner of the lodge where the group were staying told Kenya’s Nation paper the elephant attacked from behind.

Melin Van Laar told the paper the lodge’s management and the Kenya Wildlife Service were discussing the possibility for providing the guides with guns.

The 39-year-old woman, who has not yet been named, was on holiday with her husband – who reportedly survived the incident.

The victims’ bodies have been flown to the capital, Nairobi.

Stampeding elephants can reach top speeds of about 25mph (40km/h).