Hippo that escaped from flooded zoo in Tbilisi, Georgia.
TBILISI, Georgia — Tigers, lions, a hippopotamus and other animals have escaped from the zoo in Georgia's capital after heavy flooding destroyed their enclosures, prompting authorities to warn residents in Tbilisi to say inside Sunday. At least 12 people have been killed in the disaster, including three zoo workers.
An escaped hippo was cornered in one of the city's main squares and subdued with a tranquilizer gun, the zoo said. Some other animals also have been seized, but it remained unclear how many are on the loose. Bears and wolves are also among the animals who fled from their enclosures amid the flooding from heavy rains and high winds.
Municipal worker examines carcass of lion that died after flood destroyed zoo enclosures in Tbilisi, Georgia.
There were no immediate reports that any of the fatalities were due to animal attacks. The zoo said one of the dead was Guliko Chitadze, a zookeeper who lost an arm in an attack by a tiger last month.
As of mid-afternoon Sunday, it was unclear how many animals remained on the loose or what species they are.
Mayor Narmania told journalists that 10 people were known to have died.
Helicopters are circling the city and residents have been told to stay indoors except in an emergency. About 1.1 million people live in the former Soviet republic's capital.
Flash floods in Tbilisi, Georgia, damaged this road near zoo where animals escaped.
The head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as telling a Sunday Mass that Georgia's former Communist rulers could be seen as involved in the disaster.