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 stay inside
Sunday. At least eight people have been killed in the disaster, including three
zoo workers, and 10 are missing.
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.
"Most of the escaped animals are believed to have died
in the flood last night or were killed by special forces," Mzia
Sharashidze, spokeswoman for Tbilisi Zoo, told NBC News. "Not many animals
are still on the loose but it is difficult to say how many are still out
there."
It wasn't immediately clear if the eight people were killed
from the flooding or 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.
Heavy rains and wind hit Tbilisi during the night, turning
a normally small stream that runs through the hilly city into a surging river.
The flooding also damaged dozens of houses.
City mayor David Narmania told journalists that eight
people were known to have died and 10 others were missing.
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.
FOLLOW US!
