Two Taiwanese tourists were attacked by a hippopotamus while taking photographs of the animal at a wildlife resort on Lake Naivasha in Kenya's Rift Valley, north-west of the capital, Nairobi, just hours after a local fisherman was mauled to death in the same area, said a Kenyan police official on Sunday.
(AP Photo/Armando Serrano)
Chang Ming Chuang, 66, was bitten in the chest by the hippo, while his colleague, Wu Peng Te, 62, was injured with minor bruising. Six people have been killed by hippos in the area this year.
“The man was bitten on the chest and his injuries were serious and he died minutes after he was retrieved from the lake,” said Rift Valley Head of Criminal investigations Gideon Kibunja.
Online image
Witnesses said the two had come too close to the animal near the Sopa hotel. Wildlife service spokesman Paul Udoto said the circumstances are not clear in which the two Chinese were attacked. He said attacks on tourists are rare because they are usually protected by guides.
Online image
Local newspapers quoted David Kilo, chairman of Lake Naivasha Boat Owners Association, as saying higher-than-normal water levels were causing hippos to wander from the lake on to nearby farms and hotel properties searching for pasture.
The Kenya Wildlife Service said it was tracking the hippo concerned.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Flooding and heavy rains in Kenya have killed at least 70 people since mid-March, a government spokesperson said Friday, twice as many as were reported earlier this week.
The East African country has seen weeks of heavy rains and severe flooding in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, as well as in the country's western and central regions.
Kenya's government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura on Friday refuted claims that hundreds of people have died in the ongoing flooding and said the official tally now stands at 70.
Five bodies were retrieved Friday from a river in Makueni county, east of the country, after a lorry they were traveling in was swept off a submerged bridge, local station Citizen TV reported. Another 11 were rescued.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said Friday at a news briefing that the government had set aside 4 billion Kenya shillings ($29 million) for emergency relief efforts, but did not provide further details.
More than 130,000 people are currently affected with thousands of houses washed away and others flooded. Some 64 public schools in the capital were flooded and had to shut down. Roads and bridges have been damaged or destroyed.
The Kenya Meteorological Department on Friday issued a heavy rainfall advisory for the weekend and urged residents to be vigilant.
Other East African countries have reported flooding with 155 people reported to have died in neighboring Tanzania and more than 200,000 people affected in Burundi.
Follow AP’s climate coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
Residents rescue a woman who was caught during heavy rain in the Mathare slum of Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, Apr. 24, 2024. Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to dozens of deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands of people, according to the U.N., citing the Red Cross. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
A displaced woman sits on a couch outside her flooded house, after heavy rain in the Mathare slum of Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to dozens of deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands of people, according to the U.N., citing the Red Cross. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
A partially submerged house is seen in Machakos county, Kenya Monday, April 22, 2024. Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to the deaths of at least 13 people and displaced some 15,000, the United Nations said, as forecasters warned more rains can be expected until June. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Kenyan Red Cross personnel and volunteers conduct search and rescue missions, around houses submerged by flood water in Machakos county, Kenya Monday, April 22, 2024. Heavy rains pounding different parts of Kenya have led to the deaths of at least 13 people and displaced some 15,000, the United Nations said, as forecasters warned more rains can be expected until June. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
