Overview

• The artisanal piragua overturned near Buyo early Friday, according to Minister Myss Belmonde Dogo.
• Rescue teams and local authorities are carrying out ongoing searches on the river for the missing.
• The canoe carried 14 people, with women, girls and a baby among those unaccounted for.
• A 2022 Ivorian study identifies hippos as the species most often linked to human injuries or deaths, with about 500 animals concentrated in southern rivers such as the Sassandra and Bandama.
• Authorities have not announced new safety advisories or preventive measures, underscoring the risks of lightly equipped river transport.