The vessel, a canoe, was carrying 37 people across the Shire River when the incident took place.

A one-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, according to authorities.

Police in the southern African country’s southern district of Nsanje said on Tuesday that the vessel was carrying 37 people across the Shire River when the incident took place on Monday morning.

Malawian police rescued 13 with the help of World Food Programme personnel who were working in the area and provided boats for the rescue operation, Nsanje District Police Commissioner Dominic Mwandira said.

Nsanje police spokeswoman Agnes Zalakoma said that rescuers also retrieved the lifeless body of a one-year-old who had drowned in the collision, she said.

“The search mission to locate the missing individuals is currently under way,” Zalakoma said, adding that the canoe started to list and eventually capsized after the hippo collided with it.

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 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 regulations.

Last month, at least five people died after an overcrowded boat sank in Malawi’s central district of Mchinji.

SOURCE: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/16/one-dead-23-missing-after-hippo-hits-boat-in-malawi-river


Picture Description: Malawi's Minister of Water and Sanitation, Gladys Ganda left, waits with government official Abide Mia, right, for news updates from the rescue party on the banks of Shire River, Tuesday, May 16,2023. (Austin Kachipeya/AP Photo]

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCtbSOo0zhg

Hip hip hip....

Hippo

Village people. Sorry, I mean "Village Hippo".

Nlfpmod
Front page material here

RIP

Omo
Hippos can be very aggressive and deadly

Na wa o.

Nothing surprises me on earth anymore

Chei

This can't happen in Naija. The hippo would have long been used as stomach infrastructure before it can try that nonsense.

Hip for da hip for da hip popo

R.ip

Chai

Men! More than enough problems! Finally nothing and nowhere is safe.. and please nigeria is a man made destructive nation

Sometimes I wonder if we have animals such as the hippopotamus, kangaroo, etc, here in Nigeria...

Chai

RIP to them

Few days ago I was cross Eleyele river to Apete in Ibadan, all my fear was on hippopotamus coming out but I doubt if there's any in Eleyele River

Wahala

This world no sha balance

Nigerian Hippo na our Government

Omor
Bad news plenty today oo

Sometimes I don't blame hunters/fishermen when they hunt on those animals, some will charge at you naturally even without you showing any sign of attack on them.... To it, it could be a defense mechanism for it's territory from intruders unfortunately they are just passing by at the wrong time.......