An 11-year-old boy is missing after he was attacked by a hippopotamus while swimming in the Tana River near Bulla Sheikh in Garissa County.
The boy, a Grade Two pupil at Garissa Primary School, had reportedly gone swimming with other children at around 4pm on Thursday.
According to preliminary reports, the hippopotamus attacked the boy and dragged him into the river. The other children managed to escape unharmed.
Police visited the scene after receiving the report and launched efforts to search for and retrieve the boy.
The Kenya Red Cross was also notified to assist in the search and rescue operation.
Police said efforts to locate the boy were ongoing, with further updates expected as the operation progresses.
Such tragedies involving hippos are on the rise in the area amid concerns of the human-wildlife conflict trend.
On Thursday, officials said the body of a Form Three student which was missing after their canoe capsized following an attack by a hippo was recovered.
This increased to three, the number of those who died out of the tragedy.
More than 15 other people were rescued from the scene.
And an eight-year-old child drowned at Kiumba Beach in Suba North Sub-County, Homa Bay County, after reportedly entering the water to swim.
The deceased was at the beach with the mother who had gone there to wash clothes.
According to preliminary police reports, the child sneaked away from the mother and entered the water to swim.
Police said the child had a history of epilepsy and was overwhelmed by the water currents before drowning.
Police officers proceeded to the scene where they found the child’s body had already been retrieved from the water by members of the public.
The body was moved to Mbita Sub-County Hospital mortuary, where it is being preserved pending a post-mortem examination.
Police are handling the incident as a drowning case.
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