Hippo attack leaves toddler dead, 23 others missing

Rescue teams are still looking for survivors. However, hopes of finding survivors are slim as the accident occurred on Monday.

Thirty-seven people were traveling across the Shire River to Mozambique, when the vessel was attacked by a charging hippo. A spokeswoman for the Nsanje District police, Agnes Zalakoma, told journalists that she fears the missing people are dead. Because more than 24 hours have passed.

A one-year-old boy was killed, and 23 people are missing. The attack resulted in their boat capsizing in Malawi’s biggest river.

Zalakoma tells CNN that the Shire River is really dangerous to cross, and accidents are common. She adds that it is infested with crocodiles and hippos in the shallow waters:

It is too dangerous because it (the river) is too shallow and in this river there are crocodiles that most of the time attack people and also hippopotamus that cause incidents like the one we’re dealing with

While the river is home to many hippos, it is often overcrowded with boats and poorly maintained. Vessels have reportedly capsized before – leading to people drowning. It is allegedly rare to hear of a hippo charging at a boat in that part of Malawi.

Snapping a canoe in half

The incident has put a new spotlight on the risks of human-hippo encounters. Hippos are often star attractions in some zoos, they are described as one of the world’s deadliest mammals. National Geographic says a hippo is capable of snapping a canoe in half with its jaw.

Hippos are known to become dangerous if they feel threatened or have their territory invaded. They have the ability to run up to 30km per hour. National Geographic also reports that the number deaths by hippos are unknown, it could be as many as 500-3,000 per year.

The largest population hippos are in southern and eastern Africa. They are also commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa.

Back in December, a 2-year-old boy was attacked by a hippo. The mammal swallowed half of the boy’s body before spitting it out again,Uganda’s police said.

Appeals for river safety

Lawmaker for the Nsanje district in Malawi, MP Gladys Ganda says the villagers were crossing the Shire River to get to their farms at the Mozambique border. It was near here that the boat was attacked by the hippo.

Ganda has repeatedly called for a bridge to be built over the river. Thus people do not have to risk their lives crossing it in canoes. But she says her appeals have – so far – fallen on deaf ears.