Current:Home > FinanceBaby dies, dozens feared dead after hippo charges and capsizes canoe on river in Malawi-LoTradeCoin
Baby dies, dozens feared dead after hippo charges and capsizes canoe on river in Malawi
View Date:2024-12-25 01:00:42
A 1-year-old child died and 23 people were missing and feared dead after a hippopotamus charged into and capsized a canoe on a river in southern Malawi, authorities said Tuesday.
The long wooden canoe was carrying 37 people across the Shire River on their way to neighboring Mozambique when it was hit by the hippo in the Nsanje district on Monday.
Malawian police rescued 13 with the help of World Food Program personnel who were working in the area and provided boats for the rescue operation, Nsanje District Police Commissioner Dominic Mwandira said.
The people were feared dead because the search had been going on for more than 24 hours, police spokesperson Agnes Zalakoma said.
Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera sent Minister of Water and Sanitation Abida Mia to the scene. She said locals told her hippos often caused problems in the area and they wanted authorities to relocate some of the animals.
"The search mission to locate the missing individuals is currently underway," Zalakoma said.
The canoe started to list and eventually capsized after the hippo collided with it, Zalakoma said.
The Shire is Malawi's largest river.
Boat accidents are common in Malawi, where the lack of regular water transport forces many to cross lakes and rivers in sometimes rickety boats, in the absence of proper regulations.
Last month at least five people died after an overcrowded boat sank in Malawi's central district of Mchinji.
Hippos, which weigh up to 8,000 pounds, are the heaviest land animal after the elephant, according to World Wildlife Fund. They take refuge from the heat by living in water during the day, and at night they come ashore to feed.
AFP contributed to this report.
- In:
- Malawi
- Hippos
veryGood! (56)
Related
- College football top five gets overhaul as Georgia, Miami both tumble in US LBM Coaches Poll
- Polish president says he’ll veto a spending bill, in a blow to the new government of Donald Tusk
- King Charles III’s annual Christmas message from Buckingham Palace includes sustainable touches
- Alabama mom is 1-in-a-million, delivering two babies, from two uteruses, in two days
- The Bachelorette's Desiree Hartsock Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Chris Siegfried
- Where Jonathan Bennett Thinks His Mean Girls' Character Aaron Samuels Is Today
- Cuban government defends plans to either cut rations or increase prices
- Why Stephen A. Smith wants to do a live show in front of 'disgusting' Cowboys fans
- Voters in California city reject measure allowing noncitizens to vote in local races
- Bobbie Jean Carter, Sister of Nick and Aaron Carter, Dead at 41
Ranking
- Krispy Kreme is giving free dozens to early customers on World Kindness Day
- Iran’s navy adds sophisticated cruise missiles to its armory
- Olympic marathoner Molly Seidel talks weed and working out like Taylor Swift
- Every year, NORAD tracks Santa on his Christmas travels. Here's how it comes together.
- Investigators believe Wisconsin kayaker faked his own death before fleeing to eastern Europe
- Shohei Ohtani gifts Ashley Kelly, wife of Dodgers reliever, Porsche in exchange for number
- Connecticut man is killed when his construction truck snags overhead cables, brings down transformer
- What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend viewing
Recommendation
-
GreenBox Systems will spend $144 million to build an automated warehouse in Georgia
-
Why Coco Austin Calls Daughter Chanel Her Little Stalker
-
Wayfair CEO Niraj Shah tells employees to 'work longer hours' in year-end email
-
Why Stephen A. Smith wants to do a live show in front of 'disgusting' Cowboys fans
-
Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands
-
How to refresh your online dating profile for 2024, according to a professional matchmaker
-
Georgia joins East Coast states calling on residents to look out for the blue land crab
-
Notre Dame football grabs veteran offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock away from LSU