A tragic accident in southwestern Ivory Coast has left at least 11 people missing after a hippopotamus overturned a small wooden boat on the Sassandra River near the town of Buyo. Among the missing are women, young girls, and an infant, officials confirmed.
According to Myss Belmonde Dogo, the nation’s Minister for National Cohesion and Solidarity, the deadly encounter occurred Friday when the hippo struck the narrow, canoe-like vessel. Three passengers were pulled from the water alive, but rescue teams are still searching for the others.
Research from Ivorian universities in 2022 revealed that hippos are the country’s deadliest animals, responsible for more fatal human encounters than any other species. Roughly 500 hippos live in the southern waterways of Ivory Coast, particularly the Sassandra and Bandama rivers.
Globally, hippos are estimated to kill 500 or more people every year, making them one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. The massive creatures… measuring up to 11 feet long and weighing 7,000 pounds… can be highly aggressive and territorial.
