12 killed in Tbilisi floods, as tigers and lions roam

Lions, tigers and even a hippopotamus escaped from a zoo in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, adding to chaos caused by flooding that killed at least 12 people, officials say.

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 at large, describing the damage to the city’s infrastructure as “substantial” after the River Vere burst its banks after hours of torrential rain.

“Our latest estimate is that the death toll is 12,” Tbilisi Mayor David Narmania tells journalists.

— AFP

A hippopotamus walks across a flooded street in Tbilisi on June 14, 2015. (Beso Gulashvili/AFP)
A hippopotamus walks across a flooded street in Tbilisi on June 14, 2015. (Beso Gulashvili/AFP)

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