Hippo overturns boat in Ivory Coast, children among 11 people missing

At least 11 people are missing after a hippopotamus overturned a passenger boat in southwestern Ivory Coast

At least 11 people are missing after a hippopotamus overturned a passenger boat in southwestern Ivory Coast, authorities said. The missing include women, children and a baby.

A hippopotamus struck and capsized a boat in Sassandra River, Ivory Coast. (Representational image)

The accident occurred on Friday morning as the vessel was navigating the Sassandra River near the town of Buyo.

The narrow, canoe-like boat was carrying 14 people when it was struck and overturned by the hippo. According to the country’s Minister of Cohesion and Solidarity, Myss Belmonde Dogo, only three passengers have so far been rescued.

“It is with deep sorrow that we learned that 11 people, including women, girls and an infant, have gone missing following a boat capsized caused by a hippo,” Dogo wrote in a translated statement posted on Facebook. “Of the 14 occupants on the boat, at the moment 3 survivors [have been found]. Search continues in hopes of finding missing victims.”

Search and rescue underway

Rescue teams have launched search operations along the river in hopes of finding the missing passengers. Authorities have not confirmed whether bodies have been recovered, but officials emphasized that efforts are ongoing.

Dogo added that the government is monitoring the situation closely while providing support to affected families.

Hippo: A deadly animal

While lions and crocodiles often dominate headlines, hippos are considered one of the deadliest animals in Africa. A 2022 study conducted by researchers in Ivory Coast found that hippopotamuses were the species most frequently involved in fatal human-wildlife encounters in the country, CBS reported.

There are believed to be about 500 hippos in Ivory Coast, mostly concentrated in the rivers of the southern region, including the Sassandra and Bandama waterways. Their aggressive territorial behavior often brings them into conflict with local communities who depend on rivers for transport, fishing and daily life.