Villagers from Galole, Tana River County are mourning the death of a child who drowned after a canoe capsized in the river.
Galole OCPD Sylvester Githungo said two others are missing following the incident when the family was attempting to cross river Tana.
Mr Githungo said the canoe capsized as the children were crossing river Tana from their farm across the river.
He said that the vessel was hit by a hippo before it capsized and the child died immediately.
The OCPD said the body of the child has been retrieved while the search was still on for the other two children who are missing.
“The family was crossing river Tana from their farm across the river when their canoe capsized after it was hit by a hippo. One child died immediately while the other two were swept away by the overflowing water,”
“Rescue mission by our teams is still on and we call for patience on the part of members of the public. Officers have been deployed to the scene,” said Mr Githungo.
River Tana has a huge population of hippos and crocodiles and cases of crocodile and hippo attacks are frequent.