Footage has emerged of an elephant overturning a car at Kruger National Park in South Africa last month.

The video, which was recorded on December 30, shows the car slowly approaching the elephant.

After a few moments, the male elephant turns towards the car and flips it over.

The female tourist in the car was seriously injured when one of the elephant's tusks ripped open her thigh, while a male tourist suffered minor injuries.

The couple was airlifted from the scene and stabilised, then flown to a nearby hospital.

The elephant was later put down and was discovered to have been in musth, a condition that usually affects male elephants once a year when testosterone levels, aggression and sexual activity increase.

The "abnormal behaviour" was also likely a result of an injury the elephant had suffered before the incident.

"Tourists are requested to always keep a safe distance at any animal sighting as they can be dangerous at times," the park said in a statement.

AFP