Côte d'Ivoire: un hippopotame fait chavirer une pirogue, 11 disparus
Eleven people are missing in southwest Ivory Coast after a hippopotamus capsized a canoe on the Sassandra River, the Minister of Solidarity said Saturday.
"It is with deep sorrow that we learned of the disappearance of 11 people, including women, girls and an infant, following the capsizing of a boat caused by a hippopotamus," Myss Belmonde Dogo said in a post on his Facebook page.
The scene took place early Friday morning in the town of Buyo, she added, specifying that three people survived and that "the search continues in the hope of finding the missing victims."
According to a 2022 study by Ivorian academics, the hippopotamus is the "most mentioned" species in incidents with humans causing deaths or injuries.
Their population is estimated at around 500 individuals, distributed in several rivers in the south of the country, notably the Sassandra and the Bandama.
Fatal shipwrecks are not uncommon in Ivory Coast, however, often due to the overloading of pirogues used for transporting passengers.
In April, twelve children and adolescents drowned after a pirogue capsized in the lagoon near Abidjan.
AFP
Commentaires (5)
Il fair chercher dans le ventre des crocodiles
Qui dit hipopothames dit crocodiles
Ils étaient sur son territoire. Faut pas les déranger. Pourvu qu'on les retrouve.
L'hippopotame de Gouloumbou a des amis en Côte d'Ivoire.
Il faut le fusilier
LES HIPPO SONT DES ANIMAUX TRES TERRITORIAUX FAUT PAS LES APPROCHER
Les hippo sont territoriaux et malheureusement en Afrique la sécurité n est pas une priorité sinon il fallait prendre des mesures sécuritaires mais certains pensent même pas aux dangers
Paix à leurs âmes
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