At least 12 people have died after flooding destroyed
enclosures at the zoo in Georgia's capital of Tbilisi,
leaving animals including lions and tigers roaming the
city, officials said Sunday.
Some of the animals that escaped, which also include
bears and wolves, were captured or killed, and the search
for those still on the loose continued Sunday, the news
agency Civil.ge. reported.
People help a hippopotamus escape from a flooded zoo in
Tbilisi, Georgia, on Sunday.
Heavy rainfall started late Saturday and turned the Vere,
normally a small stream, into a "raging river," the news
agency said.
Tbilisi residents were warned to stay indoors.
"Not all the animals who ran away from the zoo have
been captured. Therefore, I want to ask the populace to
refrain from moving about the city without" an urgent
need to, Mayor David Narmania said.
Three zoo workers were among the dead, the Associated
Press reported. There were no immediate reports that any
of the fatalities were due to animal attacks.
An escaped hippopotamus was cornered in one of the
city's main squares and subdued with a tranquilizer gun.
Irakli Garibashvili, prime minister of the former Soviet
republic, said the damage caused by the flooding is
substantial and called for people to remain at home as
search for the animals continued, Civil.ge. reported.
Photos:AP
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