Kenyan runner escapes death narrowly after hippopotamus attack

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA |    Kenyan road runner Edwin Mokua narrowly escaped death on Monday, and is currently recuperating at the hospital after being attacked by a hippopotamus while on a training run.

The 27-year-old Mokua, who holds personal best of 1:02:50 in the half marathon, suffered four broken ribs and a double fracture on his left hand during the incident in Nyahururu, some 190km from the capital Nairobi.

“It’s an unfortunate incident, Mokua was heavily attacked by the hippo while on his training session on Monday evening. If it wasn’t for his training partner who rushed to his rescue, it could have been a different story,” athletics coach Francis Kamau told Xinhua on Tuesday.

“The runner suffered four broken ribs and two fractures on his hand and is currently at the hospital,” Kamau added.

The wild animals from the Manguo Hippo Sanctuary in the region have been straying away from their confinement up to six kilometers away, causing a threat to the community.

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XINHUA