Wild animals on loose after flood
LIONS, tigers, bears and other wild animals escaped from a zoo in the Georgian capital Tbilisi yesterday, adding to chaos caused by flooding that killed at least 10 people, officials said.
Police and soldiers were hunting down the animals, recapturing some and shooting others dead, while rescuers airlifted scores of people trapped by the floods.
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili called on Tbilisi residents to stay indoors while the animals were still on the loose. He described the damage to the city’s infrastructure as “substantial” after the River Vere burst its banks after hours of torrential rain.
“The number of people killed in the flood has grown to 10,” a spokesman at the State Security and Crisis Management Council said.
“The number of missing people is being established. At least 36 people have been hospitalised, including 16 with multiple fractures.”
The floods turned the streets and squares into raging torrents, sweeping away cars and flooding houses in the ex-Soviet state.
Tbilisi Zoo spokeswoman Mzia Sharashidze said: “A large part of the zoo is simply non-existent. It was turned into a hellish whirlpool.
“Some 20 wolves, eight lions, white tigers, tigers, jackals, jaguars have been shot dead or are missing.”
Pictures on social media show an alligator wading past parked cars and a bear perched on an air-conditioning unit on the side of a building.
Rescuers were airlifting scores from flood-affected areas after the heavy rainfall also caused a landslide outside the capital. – AFP